Evangelion: Last Best Hope: Resurrection: The OVA
by Stormofdragons
Summary: Shinji - dead; Asuka - pregnant; Keele and the Legionnaires - Victorious. The last hope for humanity? A father who's lost his way. The Finale - my OVA if you will - of the Evangelion: The Awakening and Evangelion: Last Best Hope series.


Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is Owned by Gainax. Buy the DVD's of the Series and the Movies from them. I did, and it was worth every dime. I don't own anything except my DVD's, and this is done for my own satisfaction.

Welcome to the Series Finale of Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Last Best Hope. The events chronicled here take place after the 1st season of the TV series, and the End of Evangelion Movie, as well as the events that took place in "Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Awakening," my 24 part: second season fan-fic. There were 8 Episodes previously completed in this, the third season, but alas, demands on my time had taken their toll on my plans for the next 16+ episodes. So, rather than forcing you, the fans, to languish another 8-10 years waiting for me to complete my series, I'm gonna blow my wad in one furious blow.

So, it is with great fanfare that I, StormofDragons present to you, my dear readers:

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: LAST BEST HOPE: RESURRECTION: THE OVA

Presumed date is December 25th, 2019

## ## ##

The Heavens

Three warrior angels, who had been subtly interfering with events on Earth, despite their commands not to, watched the gathering of Humans on the Earthly plane mourn Shinji Ikari.

"He's gone," Said the angel who was Not-Kaworu.

"This was always a possibility," Not-Asuka said.

"Surely the girl and the rest of them can manage without him?" Not-Shinji said, looking to the other two hopefully.

Not-Kaworu looked up at Not-Shinji and sighed.

"You know the prophecy that Iphamriel gave us. His words are why we interfered. Why we tried to guide the boy."

"'For if the child of Sapphire eyes who wears an Amethyst skin does not defeat the last agent of the morning star, all of Creation shall fall,'" quoted Not-Shinji.

"So does this mean The Morning Star has already won? That the conclusion is forgone, and all Creation is about to be undone?" Not-Asuka asked.

"No. It can't. I won't accept it," Not-Kaworu said.

"What can we do?"

"We gave the boy the clues about the icons, but he didn't have a chance to share them with the girl or anyone else."

"Perhaps we could tell someone else?" Not-Kaworu said, starting to pace back and forth before the other two.

"We shouldn't have told the boy. We've pushed the boundaries of what we can say and do as far as we can."

"If we come out and tell another on the Earthly plane, our interference will be obvious, and we'll be cast out. We'll be lost, like the Morning Stars Legions or the Watchers, those the humans mistakenly called Angels"

Not-Kaworu stopped, steepled his hands together and pressed them to his lips.

"There has to be another way, I refuse to believe that the One Who Sits Above All would simply let this creation slip away from him."

"Perhaps we could contact another, like we did the Ikari boy," Not-Asuka said.

"The timing would have to be perfect, and we would have to have the right candidate, someone partly in their world and partly in ours."

"In ours.... IN OURS!!! He should be in OURS! But He's NOT! Don't you see, Kaimsheol! He's Not In OURS!!!" Not-Kaworu shouted at Not-Shinji, and, turning, sped away from his companions.

"Satris, where are you going?" Not-Shinji shouted after him.

"To ask Metatron a question," Satris-who-was-Not-Kaworu shouted back.

Not-Asuka and Not-Shinji looked at each other, and the back of their departing friend.

"Layniel, can you explain to me why would he want to talk to The Voice?" Kaimsheol-who-was-Not-Shinji asked his companion.

"I don't know. But I think You and I had better look for a candidate to pass on the story we told to Ikari. And quickly. If Satris reveals our interventions thus far to the voice, we may all end up sharing the same fate as his brother," Layniel-who-was-Not-Asuka said.

"You know, there are times I miss Tabris' singing. His voice was so beautiful."

"It's truly a shame that when the Watchers were banished his voice was taken from him as well. Imagine, for the rest of eternity, to only hear the singing of others, and never to be a part of the choir. I think I'd rather be dead."

"Maybe that's why Tabris gave himself to the Ikari boy in the end. It was the only way he found to silence the song within himself that could not be sung."

"Perhaps, but look there," Not-Asuka said, parting a piece of the heavenly veil. "I believe we have a candidate."

"Hmm, you appear correct. Quickly, lets go to him now, before Satris can speak to Metatron."

## ## ##

Berlin, the Earth.

"Clear!" the Doctor shouted as he applied defibrulator paddles to the young mans chest for the fifth time.

The young man, of obvious Japanese descent, jumped on the table as the paddles drove the electrical current through his body.

"We've got a pulse," one of the nurses said a few moments later.

"Okay, stabilize him and as soon as we've got solid vitals I want to pull that piece of steel out of his chest," the Doctor said.

The nurses began forcing IV's and fluids laced with powerful medications into the young mans body.

The young mans dog tags rested beside him on the table, where they'd been placed when they were cut off him during triage.

"Anyone got a name on the chart for this one yet?" one nurse asked.

"Kenichi Satachi, 21, Blood Type: B, RH-, Flight Engineer," another nurse said, reading off his name tags.

Glancing down at their patient, one of the nurses noticed his eyes were open, and slowly closed them.

## ## ##

"Hello Kenichi, have a seat," came a voice from behind him.

Kenichi Satachi turned around, and, as he did so, the fog around him cleared, and he saw his parents swinging beneath the ancient Sakura tree of his families ancestral home.

"Mom? Dad? You're back? When did you come back? Why didn't anyone send for me? Wait? How'd I get back to Japan?"

His parents stopped swinging, and stood up to approach him.

"We're sorry Kenichi, we're not your parents," his mother said.

"We're messengers. Angels, your people call us, though NOT the angels that the Evangelions have fought," his father said.

"We've assumed the images of your loved ones for a special purpose, and we don't have much time."

"Um, okay," Kenichi said. He wasn't sure what was going on here, and his confusion seemed to be making him open to anything at the moment.

"Shinji Ikari has been killed in Japan," his mother said.

"NO!" he shouted, denying her words.

"Yes, now hush. Before he died, we imparted some knowledge to him, but he was unable to pass it on to anyone else. It is vital that mankind gain this knowledge. Without it, all is lost," his father said.

"There are weapons of terrible power hidden on the Earth. And other things. Objects of legend, icons, that have been transformed from simple holy relics into things capable of altering the course of history. The Legionnaires and their master are searching for them. If they recover them before mankind does, all is lost, and this existence will be replaced by the perversions of the Morning Star."

"Do you understand?" his mother asked.

"Yes, I've got it, but ... I'm dead aren't I?"

"No. You have one foot in our realm, and one in your own. This place is a bridge between those two worlds where our two kinds can interact."

"But if I'm here, I'm obviously not doing so well."

"Yes, but we," his father suddenly vanished, mid-sentence.

His mother looked shocked.

"As the British say, 'In for a penny, In for a pound'," his mother said, and she suddenly reached out, laying hands on his shoulders.

## ## ##

Kenichi sat bolt upright on his gurney, tubes, wires and breathing tubes ripping from him.

"ORDERLY" one of the nurses shouted, thinking the young man was undergoing some sort of convulsion.

"Where am I? What happened?" the young man asked.

"Please be calm, you're in the NERV Berlin Trauma Center. Two hours ago a jet enjine exploded in the hanger, and you had a piece of compressor blade driven into your chest, puncturing a lung," the nurse explained, trying to push him back on the gurney.

"Is that what this is?" he said, hold out the piece of metal in his hand.

"But... that's impossible, we haven't removed it yet?" the nurse said questioningly.

The Doctor then arrived with the Orderly, and, seeing the compressor blade in his hand, pulled the young mans shirt open.

There was no sign of injury.

"I need to speak to Commander Misato Kaji in Japan. Immediately. I think I have a message for her."

## ## ##

Nagoya-2, Japan

"And that's what they said to me Commander."

"And then you woke up?" Misato said, turning away from the view screen.

"Yes Commander."

"Very well, thank you for your report, that will be all," Misato said, waving a dismissal.

"Commander," a second voice was calling her attention back to the screen.

"Yes?" she asked, turning around.

"Just so you know, the sergeant was very insistent on contacting you as soon as he'd awakened. However, you should be aware, that he was near death on the operating table for some 19 minutes, while we preped him for surgery. We were going to try to remove this," the doctor said, holding up the piece of compressor blade that Kenichi had awakened holding.

"Are there any signs of injury now?" Misato asked, rubbing her chin.

"None. There's traces of blood on the metal, but as far as his body goes, there's no sign that he was ever injured."

"Thank you for your report Doctor. We'll be in touch. Nagoya-2 out." she said, flipping off the screen.

Ryouji walked up to her and handed her a coffee cup.

"That sounds incredible," he said.

"Mmmm," she agreed into her mug as she took a sip.

"Hmm..."

"Yes, Ritsuko?"

"Just thinking..."

"About?"

"Well... It's just that... Look, the thing we called "The Lance of Longinous" was discovered at the Antarctic site where Adam originated. The thing is... we're not sure based upon the data that Gendo saved from there, if the Lance was an artifact in its present form, or if it was changed from something else. We do know that it was found there with the remains of an early 14th Century ship belonging to the Knights Templar. Based upon the translations of the remaining ships logs and the lord of the order's journal, I have a theory."

The others waited while Ritsuko took a drink, and leaned back in her chair.

"The Knights Templar were caretakers of many of history's greatest religious artifacts. They were rich and powerful beyond imagining, but suddenly they became weakened, and were overthrown and imprisoned by the French Crown. None of the legendary riches they were purported to have possessed were ever discovered. It is believed, that on the night before their arrest a great treasure fleet set sail for a secret location, taking the treasures with them."

"What if this wreck were one of those ships, and the treasure it carried were the REAL Lance of Longinus?"

"The Lance of a Roman Soldier, believed to have pierced the body of Jesus Christ?"

"Yes. If this were the real Lance, touched by the blood of the son of god, and it somehow changed when brought within range of the body of Adam, it would likely have destroyed the Templar ship carrying it."

"Ya, something going from a human sized weapon to an EVA sized weapon would be pretty destructive, inside a ships hull," Ryouji said.

"Precisely. So, if exposure to Adam's aura apparently caused the Lance to change into this monstrous weapon, what else was changed?"

"What do you mean?"

"When Adam was awakened during the contact experiment in Antarctica, he flew off, around the globe. He touched down at select sites, stayed there for a few minutes or hours, then left, leaving destruction and devastation in his wake. There wasn't any apparent connection made at the time, but I remember some data I came across in my mothers notes."

Maya, behind her, gasped, and began typing frantically on her laptop. Within moments the large screen behind them lit up with a series of reports. The reports, all signed by Ritsuko's mother, were detailed analysis of the sites where Adam had touched down.

"Which one?"

"Turin," Ritsuko said.

Momentarily a screen showing the report of Adam's landing in the historic town of Turin came up on the screen.

"This report goes on at great length to discuss the destruction of the village, the church and the loss of many many lives."

"But why there?"

"That always bothered me too... I never made the connection until just a few moments ago, when I remembered the last picture in the report. Maya?"

Maya paged through the report, and the final picture at the end of the document appeared on the screen. A monk or fryer was lying dead on the edge of a great lake, formed by the explosive energy Adam released in his attack. The lake was steaming, but that wasn't what was odd. The monk's head had been burned, his hair was singed off, and revealed on the back of his head, blistered and burned was a strange tattoo.

"That, ladies and gentlemen, is a Maltese Cross. The sign of the order of the Knights Templar. The burn pattern on the monks head shows that this tattoo was not visible, as it was concealed under his hair. only when the hair was burned off in the attack, was the truth revealed."

"So, somehow the Knights Templar were involved with the order guarding the Shroud?"

"Yes, I believe so. But there's more. Maya, Ethiopia please. The aerial shot of the region."

Maya obliged, and a picture showing what was evidently a region of Ethiopia came into view. There was a blasted landscape, and again, the impact crater of Adam's attack could be seen. However there was something else. What appeared to be the remains of an ancient water course, a canal or something similar, were plainly visible.

"This picture was taken using ground penetrating radar. You'll see the cross shape again, with the edge of the crater at the tip of the cross."

"Alright, you have me convinced Ritsuko... but what difference does it make?"

"None... unless you know the history of those two locations. Turin was the site where the "Shroud of Turin" was kept. The Shroud was purported to be the burial cloth of Jesus of Nazareth."

"And the Ethiopian site?"

"If you believe the local legends... the "Ark of the Covenant" was kept there."

"Okay Ritsuko, wrap this all up for me," Misato said.

"If contact with Adam changed the Lance of Longinus from the small man sized weapon to the EVA sized weapon we now know... what would have happened to these other two items if Adam came in contact with them at their respective sites."

Misato just gaped, open mouthed at Ritsuko for a few moments before turning to look at her husband.

"Get Berlin back on the line, and tell them to scramble their Cherubs and Transports. Has anyone seen Asuka?"

## ## ##

NERV China

Gendo watched the meeting with interest.

Ritsuko had come to the same conclusions in only a few minutes that Seele's 'Project I' had taken eleven years to come to. The true origin of the artifact they called the Lance of Longinus had been debated at the highest circles of Project E. It was Ritsuko's mother Naoko who had first suggested that the Lance might truly be the fabled missing Icon. Her discoveries and experiments while working in Project E had paralleled the Project I team's investigations.

Gendo thought about Naoko then, possibly for the first time in years.

Had he loved her?

No, not really. She had been there for him, when Yui died, providing the physical outlet and release he needed to control the grief he'd felt. Only later did he begin to suspect that she had had something to do with Yui's loss.

But, he'd never been angry with her for that, either.

He'd never been anything...

Not after Yui died.

He'd just... shut down. Yui had made him love, had brought him joy, and her death had been like the locking of a vault, sealing his emotions within.

'And what is happening now?' he silently asked himself. 'Why do I suddenly feel as if I want to die all over again?'

Memories flashed before his eyes.

Memories that were not his own.

Yui's breast, bared before him, tantalizingly near. Her face, smiling down at him, beatific. His own face, smiling down, peaking around Yui's head. The feeling of a smile on a face that was not his own, followed by the warm flow of milk into his stomach. Love flowed into his body with that nourishing liquid, and a feeling of exquisite joy and completeness.

Shinji...

Shinji, my son.

'My DEAD son,' he thought to himself.

Another memory.

Himself sitting at the small table in the house he'd bought for Yui when they first came to Tokyo-3, before their quarters were complete in the Geo-Front. He saw himself looking for a paper, then glance towards the watcher. A paper, held in a small hand, waggled around between them, and when the Gendo of his memory rose from the table to reach for the paper, the young hand withdrew the paper. Fleeing down the hall, Gendo in full pursuit, screaming in joy and terror. Mother, Yui, curled up in their bed, reading a brief, rescuing himself, Shinji, from himself, Gendo. Tickling, betrayal, both parents pulling the paper away, gently but firmly, and continuing the tickling until breath came in fits and gasps. Being carried by the strong arms of Gendo, and placed in his bed, kissing his mother, Yui goodnight, and then kissing his father, himself goodnight.

"Love you Momma, Love you Papa." he/Shinji said.

He gasped...

He was aware of this odd... sharing... that had occurred between all the people who'd been through Third Impact. According to the research files he'd pilfered from Ritsuko, the entire human race living today, likely shared many memories of Shinji's life. But they were all subconscious. Sometimes remembered in a dream, others as an odd sense of deja-vu, but never clearly. Never like this.

Only ONE memory from Shinji Ikari was shared consciously by the entire human race. The final battle with the EVA series. Even then, it was mostly a blur. A blur that is, until the moment Asuka Langley Soryu was struck down by the re-activating EVA series. Then everything snapped into clarity. His grief, his insanity, his terror. Everything that flashed through his mind. All the hallucinations of his terrified mind, as he died, his AT field dissolving and joining with that of the rest of humanity.

A new memory invaded his mind now.

Himself... releasing his own small hand. Turning, walking away, never looking back. Screaming. Screaming, begging, sobbing.

"Papa! Papa! No! Don't Leave Me! I'll Be Good! I'm Sorry! I Didn't Mean To Make Momma Leave! No! Papa! Papa!"

A large man, wearing glasses and a severe black suit, Gendo recognized him as a Section 2 agent, took him by the hand. Another man was grabbing his small suitcase, as the first man took him onto the train. He continued to scream.

"Don't Leave Me Papa! Don't Leave Me! I Love You!"

He watched as his own little hand reached and reached, trying to call his father/himself back.

His father/himself never even turned around.

The memory faded, and Gendo found his face soaked by tears, his vision blurry.

He leaned forward, resting his head in one hand, while the other passed over the console on his right. He toggled through the image feeds from the security system at Nagoya-2. He stopped when he reached the entombment chamber at the bottom of the base.

Shinji's Evangelion was here. Placed into one of the great holes that he had punched into the wall using the strength of his own AT field. All that remained of his son was in that dark hole in the rock.

A movement near the head of the Evangelion attracted his attention, and he made the camera focus on the person kneeling there.

Asuka Langley Soryu, his sons girlfriend, and the only remaining TRUE Evangelion Pilot, was there, crying, with her hands resting against the side of the Evangelion. There were occasional flashes of light from her hands; apparently she was using her AT field in an attempt to heal Shinji.

Gendo watched as she gave up, leaned her head against the shattered Evangelion and sobbed. The fourth child's wife came forward, and helped her to her feet.

"Asuka, you can't keep doing this. Shinji's gone. You can't bring him back."

"Yes, I can, I know I can," Asuka cried, as Hikari led her away.

"Asuka, there's no telling how expending all that energy is going to affect the baby. What about it, huh? It's all that's left of Shinji, and for all you know, you're killing it!" Hikari remonstrated.

Asuka burst into a new torrent of tears, and collapsed to her knees, and two of the other Children came forward, and helped her to her feet, following Hikari as she led them to the lift.

'Soryu's Pregnant?' he thought, lifting his head up.

'How did I miss that?' he asked himself, scrolling through the reports on the Pilot's that had been entered into the Magi system by the Nagoya-2 staff.

There it was. An entry made yesterday, by Ritsuko. Pilot Asuka Langley Soryu was 5 weeks pregnant. Sex of Fetus, unknown at present. A schedule for future visits was listed. Another notation in her personnel file showed that Asuka had suspected she was pregnant, but had said nothing to Dr. Akagi or the other medical staff. Discovery of Soryu's pregnancy had come at the death of Pilot Ikari, when she confessed to him, as he lay dying, of her pregnancy. Post action reports and exams had confirmed her pregnancy.

'Shinji was going to be a father,' he realized.

'I'm going to be a Grandfather,' he thought to himself, sitting up in surprise.

He gazed back at the shattered body of Shinji's Evangelion, the physical remains of his son.

'What would Yui think of me now?' he thought.

He brought up several screens for the NERV base he was in. He spent nearly thirty minutes typing frantically at the keys, and switching between various screens and system interfaces.

All was in readiness.

There was just one thing left to do.

He pulled a piece of paper out of a nearby printer and wrote a brief note. He looked down at his hands for a long moment, before re-affirming his decision.

He reached for his all weather coat as he walked out the door, taking it and a small bag with him as he left.

Behind him, on the desk, Gendo's signature white gloves lay folded neatly over the letter he'd left for Keele. Four words only lay written on the paper.

"See you in hell."

## ## ##

The Heavens

"BEHOLD I AM METATRON!" boomed The Voice.

"Really?" asked Kaimsheol in feigned wonder.

"Oh jeez, he's going to be all messianic again. You'd think he'd figure out after an eternity that its not needed for us," Layniel whispered to Kaimsheol.

"Sorry, it's just been so long since I got to say it, that I kinda miss it," Metatron sighed.

"Forget it Metatron, we're not in the mood for it. We need to beseech The Throne," Satris said.

"No."

The three warrior angels stared at each other in amazement. No member of the Heavenly Host had been denied admittance to The Throne since before the fall. And before then, only Lucifer had ever been denied.

"May we ask why?" Satris said, a sinking feeling coming over him.

"You know why. I was told you would ask. I was told to tell you 'No.' I've done as I was told. AS, I might add, YOU three should have done," Metatron said.

Kaimsheol and Layniel hung their heads in shame, knowing what this had to mean. An eternity before, they had fought an endless war against Lucifer for trying to force his will upon The Throne. The final act of their battles had been the expulsion of Lucifer and his Legions from The Heavens.

"Metatron, PLEASE, you know what is happening on Earth. You know what could happen, and what this all means," Satris begged.

"Yes, more so than you. The Throne has confided much in me, and allowed me to view your sorry attempts to interfere in the events below."

"Then you know we meant no harm," Kaimsheol said.

"We only had humanities best interests at heart," Layniel said.

"And your own. You don't think The Throne is fooled by the fact that in trying to interfere down there, you were trying to guarantee your own existance?" Metatron said.

"IS THAT SO WRONG?" Satris shouted back at him.

"WE EXIST TO SERVE THE THRONE!" Metatron shouted back at him.

"AND WE SHOULD JUST STAND HERE AND LET LUCIFER WIN?"

"IF THAT IS THE WILL OF THE THRONE, YES!"

"THEN WHY DIDN'T WE JUST LET HIM WIN THE FIRST TIME!" Satris shouted.

There was silence for several long moments.

"I've wondered that myself several times recently," Metatron said, sighing.

Kaimsheol and Layniel looked at each other in shock.

"I can't let you see The Throne. BUT, I can give you the words I was given to relay to you." Metatron said.

"We await The Word," the three angels chanted as they had since the dawn of time.

"To Kaimsheol and Layniel I was given these words. 'Although you acted without orders, your actions are not displeasing. The Thrones countenance smiles upon thee, and blesses thee with the favor of The Throne'," Metatron said.

The two angels looked at each other and smiled, then realized these words were only for them, and looked up in concern to their companion.

"And me?" Satris asked.

"To you Satris I was given these words. 'My son. For eternity you have served me faithfully and loyally. Though your brother was cast out, never did you lose your faith in my judgement. Now you wish to help those upon the Earthly plane. I grieve to tell you that it is not within your power to do the task that needs to be done...'," Metatron said.

Satris shoulders slumped.

"The soul of Shinji Ikari is trapped within the body of his Evangelion, and none now upon the Earth have the power or the strength of will to free him or release him. You are his only hope, but you cannot free him. Only the power of love can do that. Farewell my son. And know that your name will forever be a blessing throughout our creation. Next to Lucifer, you are my most beloved servant," Metatron finished speaking, and Satris burst into tears.

"He's being cast OUT?" Kaimsheol shouted at Metatron.

"This is not fair!" Layniel added agrily.

"SILENCE! THIS IS THE WORD!" Metatron boomed at them

Satris raised his head and looked at his friends; a sad smile crooked on his face.

"It's okay, my friends. It's not what you think. I know what I have to do. I know how to save the Ikari boy. I know WHO can save the Ikari boy," Satris said.

Metatron leaned forward and hugged Satris.

"Farewell Satris."

"Goodbye Metatron. Will you visit me?"

"If The Throne allows me to, yes."

Satris turned to his friends.

"I don't know what to say," Kaimsheol said.

"I do. It's not fair. You don't deserve to be punished like this," Layniel said.

"Hush my friends. It is not what you think. Although I'm leaving the Heavenly plain, I do so to complete our task. After all, our lives mean nothing, and I am fully prepared for the task ahead. Farewell."

He kissed each of them in turn, and then turned to Metatron.

"I'm ready," he said, holding his hands out, spreading his wings, and lifting his arms from his sides in praise.

"By your actions, Satris, Creation regains it's only hope to defeat the Morning Star. Farewell my friend," Metatron said.

The three angels stepped back, as the light of The Throne burst forth from Satris, expanding out from him in an all consuming sphere, until Satris had been fully engulfed. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the light was gone.

"And what happens now?" Kaimsheol asked Metatron.

"IF everything and everyone does what they should... something Miraculous," Metatron said.

## ## ##

Berlin

The earthquake that hit Berlin was a deep crust long period quake. Most of the surface buildings collapsed during the first forty seconds, and even the surface levels of the NERV facility suffered severe damage. Earthquakes in this part of the world were not uncommon, since Second Impact, and dozens of active fault lines had been charted in recent years.

The location of the quake wasn't what was so unusual though. It was the duration.

When the quake finally subsided after twenty minutes, the NERV personnel picked themselves up and began to frantically take stock of their situation. While other personnel were busy with damage control, and helping the injured, a lone computer technician, on duty in Central Dogma, stared at his screen in disbelief.

Then the alarms sounded.

Legionnaire's, dozens of them, were bursting from the surface of the Earth all around the base.

He slammed his hand down on the scramble button that would summon the Cherubim Pilots to their stations before he realized that the Cherubim were gone, having loaded themselves into the transport planes two hours before, bound for Japan.

"We're dead," he said to himself.

## ## ##

Nagoya-2

The quake subsided, and Misato began dispatching damage control teams to handle the recovery efforts. As a country prone to large earthquakes, Japan's buildings, designed to withstand this very scenario, stood up much better to the quakes than had their counterparts in Germany.

"LEGIONNAIRE ATTACK!" Maya shouted, as the first siren began to sound from her screens.

"Location?" Misato asked, coming to her feet.

"They're all around us Commander, I'm tracking forty, fifty, sixty, seventy signals and still growing commander."

"Scramble the Cherubim! When are the Berlin Units scheduled to arrive?"

"They're coming out of sub-orbital cruise now, and should be here within the next thirty minutes," Ryouji said.

"Too long," Misato whispered.

"Ma'am, the Legionnaire's, they're not attacking. They're all moving off to the west."

"WHAT? Confirm that?"

"Confirmed Commander, all emerging Legionnaire signals are turning towards the west, and moving off at high speed."

"Commander, communication from Berlin. Massive Legionnaire presence detected, but enemy forces are moving off to the southeast."

"Give me Global Surveillance scans. Tell me what's going on," Misato said.

"Coming up now. Magi are confirming the quake was NOT, repeat NOT a localized event. There were hundreds of epicenters across the entire planet. Massive Legionnaire presence is now being detected from all parts of the globe. Currently the Magi are estimating Legionnaire numbers to be in excess of Two Thousand, and still growing. Energy readings are spiking all over the planet."

Misato stared at her screens in disbelief.

"One moment ma'am. Magi are confirming a single earthquake is still in progress. Magnitude is in excess of 10.3 and rising. The Magi report the ground around the site is fracturing and being thrust outwards, and the epicenter of the quake is moving upwards, towards the surface.

"Location?"

"A place in Israel the maps identify as Har Megiddo."

Ritsuko gasped, "Har Megiddo. Biblical location of the final battle ... Armageddon."

Misato looked at Ryouji, and held out her hand to him. He came to her and hugged her fiercely.

"I'm glad I married you," he said.

"I'm glad you're with me, here at the end," she said back to him.

## ## ##

The Sea of Japan

The high speed jet boat Gendo Ikari had taken rocked under the impact of the waves it was crashing through. Satellite navigation beacons indicated that he'd just passed through the long p-waves associated with Tsunami. The fact that he'd hit seven of them within six minutes could not be good. The last two monster waves had buffeted his boat so badly, he'd been thrown from his seat to the deck of the enclosed cabin, and the boat had come to a stop. He straightened himself up, and prepared to return to his seat, when the door seal activated.

Gendo Ikari was greeted by the oddest site he'd ever seen.

A large warm water penguin strolled into the cabin, turned, sealed the hatch, and hopped up into the passenger chair next to him.

"WARK!" the thing squawked at him as it secured its seatbelt.

Gendo continued to watch the odd bird as he seated himself in the pilot's chair, and secured his own seatbelt.

"You're right, this wouldn't have happened if I'd been wearing mine," he said to the bird. "Coming along for the ride, eh? Alright," he said, engaging the engine, and dropping the throttle to full power.

The Jet boat literally jumped out of the water as it blasted across the sea separating Mainland China from the Japanese Islands. Within the hour he was turning southward, down the eastern shoreline of the main island, headed for his final destination. Nagoya-2.

"I imagine they'll be happier to see you than they will be to see me," he said to his companion.

"Wark!" the bird squawked in agreement.

## ## ##

The Guff, Lillith's Dark Egg, Earth Orbit

Satris' vision cleared, and he found himself staring out at an endless plane of mist. For a moment he wondered if he'd been imagining what had happened, until he looked up. Above him was the cold hard interior shell of the Guff. Within this finite object was contained the infinite space where-in the souls of mankind awaited birth. He looked around for any landmarks, and saw, in the distance, a strange pyramid shaped building. He approached it at the speed of thought, and was soon wondering down the long corridors.

"At last," he sighed, when he spied The Guardian.

"Hello Satris," Lilith greated him.

"Hello Lilith," he said back to her.

"Why are you here?"

"Lilith, I have come to offer you your freedom."

"Freedom? But in order to be free one would first have to be imprisoned wouldn't one?"

"Are you not a prisoner here? You cannot enter the Heavens. You cannot visit the Earth below. That would seem to me to indicate Imprisonment."

"But that would imply that I were here against my will. I assure you that I am not."

Satris sighed.

"Lilith, I understand that The Throne ordained that you would be the mother of the souls of all mankind. I further understand that you love this job, and oversee your children with all the love and care a human mother could bestow upon her own children. It is for this reason I have come before you. To ask a boon of you."

"A boon?"

"Yes. Turn your task over to me. Allow me to be the guardian of this place, that you may leave, and return to the Earth."

"You ask me to make the final fall. To become as I was before, as the Morning Star and the Watchers were."

"Yes," he said.

"Why should I," She said cocking her head at him.

"Because only you can save Shinji Ikari. He's been defeated by a servant of the Morning Star, and his soul is trapped within the body of the being the humans call Evangelion."

"He is but one human. Why should I care for him any more or less than I care for all the others," she said, waving her arm about, to encompass the vast misty valley below her, visible through a great tear in the walls of the Pyramid.

"Because within you remains the soul you were bonded to when you inhabited the Earth. And that soul longs to return."

Lilith turned to face him.

"My mortal existence brought loneliness and pain. Why should I return."

"Because only you have the power to bring him back. And only he has the power to stop the Morning Star. Do you WANT Lucifer to triumph? Need I remind you what that means?"

Lilith sighed.

"No, you don't need to remind me. But how. Even were I to return to Earth, the humans would never accept me. And I don't have the power to do what you ask."

"Not alone, no, but in this location is an Icon imbued with great power by The Throne, through Adam, the Servant. IT, combined with your own power, and those of Ikari's loved ones, can bring him back. And the humans will accept you. Or they will, once they know you."

Lilith sighed. as the mental image of the location and the object Satris spoke of entered her mind.

"Very well, Satris. I will grant you your request. In truth I had been hoping for a chance to return, even though it mean my death. This little soul within me has been growing in power these years, and I fear that it would consume me were it not such a loving thing."

"Thank you, Lilith. Goodbye."

"Goodbye Satris," Lilith said to him, as a glow began to emanate outwards from her body.

## ## ##

Nagoya-2

Maya Ibuki continued to monitor the readings as Legionnaire after Legionnaire crawled its way free of the Earth, and moved to join its unholy brethren in the middle-east. She'd always wondered what it would be like when the world ended. She guessed that now she knew.

"Ritsuko?"

"Hmm. Oh, I'm sorry, yes Maya?" Dr. Akagi said.

"I love you."

Ritsuko stopped and looked around the command deck to see if anyone had noticed what her young protege had just blurted out.

"Maya, not now," Ritsuko said.

"Why not? If the world's going to end, I don't want to die with any regrets, and the biggest regret I could ever have is not shouting to the world in front of all our friends that I love you."

Mayas' voice had been growing in volume as she spoke, and as she repeated her declaration of love, the occupants of the room all looked towards the two of them.

"Oh Maya, I love you too," Ritsuko sighed.

Maya stood and embraced Ritsuko then, and the two women kissed tenderly and held each other close.

Quiet applause sounded around the control room until Misato's shout was heard from above the command deck.

"ABOUT GOD DAMN TIME!"

"SCREW YOU MISATO!"

"SORRY, THAT'S RYOUJI's JOB!" Misato said, smiling down at the couple.

A slightly different alarm sounded from the consoles then.

Maya jumped back to her console, and began typing rapidly. She glanced at Ritsuko in silent request for confirmation. Ritsuko looked over her shoulder and nodded.

"WE HAVE AN ANGEL!" Maya shouted.

"WHAT?" Misato shouted back.

"Honest to god ma'am. Reading are an exact match for the previous readings taken during all angel attacks. These readings are off the scale though. Massive AT field is materializing around this one."

"Location?"

"Turin, Italy. It... It's gone ma'am. I repeat, all readings have ceased. The Angel is gone."

"What the hell?" Ritsuko asked, echoing the thoughts and words of every member of the control room staff.

Ritsuko began typing frantically at the keyboard in front of her, trying to figure out what was going on, and where the Angel had gone.

Misato looked at Ryouji with concern. An Angel, an honest to god Angel. And no Shinji to protect them. Sure there was still Asuka, and the Cherubim force, but...

"ANGEL READINGS INSIDE THE BASE!"

"Location?"

"The Cherubim Internment area."

"Do we have a visual?"

"On Screens," Maya said, typing frantically.

The main screen of the Command Center lit up with the video feed from the base's lowest level, an area some of the former NERV personnel were starting to call 'Terminal Dogma'. Originally this area had been made to house the birthing chambers for the Cherubim. Later Shinji had added the Internment area, for the inevitable casualties he knew would come.

Now his body was here, in Evangelion form, next to the body of a friend who'd died as a result of, what he considered, his greatest failure. The other dead body here had recently been corrupted, and taken over by a Legionnaire, and had nearly defeated Shinji, who had fought the thing as a mere human, giving Asuka time to get away and return as her Evangelion.

The dead Cherubim and the Evangelion weren't visible now.

Not because the Cherubim was re-sealed inside its tomb, or that Shinji's Evangelion was out of range of the camera, but because a large glowing white form was in the way of the camera.

"Can we get a better view of it?"

"Negative ma'am," Maya said. "This is the only camera that has a view into that area at the moment. The others were destroyed during the Legionnaire action."

"Damn," Misato swore, "What's that thing doing to Shinji's body?"

## ## ##

The Crypt - Terminal Dogma

Lilith looked down upon the Evangelion that had formerly been know simply as Unit 01.

This poor shell had once contained the remnants of the soul of Yui Ikari. Scientist. Wife. Mother. Core member of Project-E. One of the most important scientists of the 20th and early 21st century.

She'd given her life in an experiment to activate the Evangelion. Not willingly. Never that. She'd wanted to live, after a fashion. As a member of the Human Instrumentality project, she'd been seduced by Gendo and Seele's plans at immortality.

And she'd almost found it, here, within her Evangelion. Her soul had lost contact with her original body, and been used to bind together the body of this 'Unit-01.'

A decade later, her own son had used her creation, her self, to fight off the awakening of the Angels, the Watchers.

And then both had been used to remake the world.

But Shinji Ikari, that poor son of Yui, had found surprising strength within himself. Strength imparted by his mothers remaining consciousness. Yui's final act had been to assure that Shinji had the power he would need when he returned to Earth. She'd given the last bits of her souls energy to Shinji, hoping he could find some sort of happiness when he returned.

As the Evangelion had drifted off into space, the last bit of AT field energy she'd had was used to bind the Evangelions form to this reality. Making sure something of humanity would survive the eons.

But that hadn't been the end of the tale.

For Shinji Ikari had indeed awakened, along with fellow Pilot Asuka Langley Soryu, and a time came when Shinji had need of the Evangelion again.

Lilith had watched what was going on below her, on the Earth, and in the heavens above. She'd watched as the three true Angels contacted Shinji Ikari as he lay in a coma. She'd watched as they reached out, grabbing the Evangelion from its escape trajectory, and sent it hurtling back to Earth.

And she'd approved.

For, once she'd become Guardian of the Guff, she'd also become aware of all that had transpired throughout the eons, and the reasons for it.

Humanity had to survive.

Shinji had to survive.

And yet... here she was, trying to bring him back.

Because he'd died.

Shinji Ikari was dead.

Somewhere buried deep within her a small spark wept.

That was not at all like the Angelic Immortal being that she strove to be.

And yet...

Lilith shook her massive head, and stretched out her left hand, touching the shattered core of Shinji's Evangelion. She gripped the item she'd recovered from Turin in her right hand and began pouring energy into the two.

## ## ##

Central Dogma

The base rocked under the energy wave that exploded from Terminal Dogma.

"RITSUKO?" Misato shouted.

"Energy readings are off the scale, Misato. We have base sensors failing everywhere. The only reliable feeds we have are from the early warning long range sensors we set up outside the base. We're reading an Angel's AT field of incredible power. At least five orders of magnitude above the previous record."

Misato considered that for a moment. She knew that THAT AT field had been recorded during the battle between Kaworu and Shinji, but no one had every identified where that AT field had come from, and now here was a new field that was even more powerful

As suddenly as the ground shaking had started, it suddenly stopped.

"What happened?"

"AT field readings have vanished. The Angel is no longer in Terminal Dogma."

"Where did it go?" Misato asked, confused.

## ## ##

The Guff

"Satris"

"Lilith. You were not successful."

"No. Even with the Icon, I could not do it."

"How. The Angel of Birth, Lilith, the First Mother, unable to give life?"

"Unable to give BACK life Satris. I can not do this thing. Even with the Icon it is beyond me."

Satris considered his sister for a long moment.

"There is a flaw within you."

"I had considered that. The soul. It..."

"No Lilith, you misunderstand. Not THAT soul. NEVER that soul. THAT soul is your child, and could never be your flaw. Part of HIS soul is within you. THAT is the flaw I spoke of."

Lilith stared at Satris in bewilderment, then in shock.

"I understand, now. I have been blind. But if I expel that piece that has become a part of me, I will lose the power I gained from taking it into myself. Yet I need that power to complete the task."

"You must find a host whom HE can bond with. Otherwise when you expel HIM, all that remains will be lost, and you will lose the power HE must lend you. Finding a host may be problematic."

Lilith smiled at Satris.

"Not so."

"How? Not so?"

"Yes."

"My dear sister, you must enlighten me. How, not so?"

"HE already has a host."

"HE does?" said Satris.

"Yes, indeed," said Lilith.

"Indeed? But where?"

"Not Where, but Who."

"Who?"

"Yes, 'Who.'"

"Then go. For time is short. Already Har Megiddo has begun to sunder."

Lilith vanished again.

"Farewell my sister. I do not know if there is an afterlife for those such as ourselves, but, if you meet our brother Tabris there, give him my love."

## ## ##

Central Dogma

Maya was using satellite scans to try and track the Angel. It wasn't easy, what with all the Legionnaire signals popping up everywhere. Misato and Ritsuko were talking on the command platform, trying to organize a plan of action.

'At least I finally got to tell Ritsuko. And she loves me too,' she thought, a smile growing on her face. The smile vanished an instant later.

"I've got it," She said, when the reading reappeared. "Four hundred miles Northeast of us, in the ocean. Satellite telemetry shows a small object, moving fast on a direct intercept course with the Angel. What the hell? Impact in 5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. 1.. The Angel has vanished."

"What was that object? Some sort of bomb, a Legionnaire?"

"Negative. Magi are analyzing readings now, but the object appears to be a courier jetboat. High speed, capable of long distance runs. Magi report that the boats point of origin was... the NERV base in China? What the hell?"

"Ritsuko, are the Magi able to communicate with the Magi in China?"

"Stand by. Confirmed. Magi Shanghai are now connected. Commander, incoming transmission from NERV Shanghai."

The communications screen materialized at the front of the command center, and Chairmen Keele looked back at them, his cybernetic eyepiece glinting coldly in the subdued light.

"You've lost, Commander," he said with an evil grin.

"Keele, you bastard, so it was YOU that was behind that Jet Alone," Misato said.

"Yes, and very soon now, you're all going to be dead."

"And you along with us, you bastard."

"Oh that may be, that may be, but it is inevitable now. This was the only outcome possible once you and the Ikari brat had disrupted our plans for Instrumentality."

"So, because Shinji screwed up your plans, you're going to destroy the Universe?" Misato asked.

"Talk about a sore loser," Hyouga said to himself.

"That's right. Or rather, not me, but Lucifer, Satan, the Morning Star, the Devil, if you will. He'll do it. I don't like to dirty my hands with such trivial things."

"Keele. You're an asshole, you know that?" Misato said.

"Thank you Commander, but, if you'll excuse me, I'm rather busy now. My friends seem to have left on errands of their own, Commander Ikari seems to have wondered off somewhere, and I have my own trip to prepare for."

"Gendo?" Ritsuko gasped.

"Yes, the Commander and I came out of the sea together on Hong Kong and made our way to the Shanghai base. He's around here somewhere, but he's not answering my calls. Forgive me, but I have to go now, my plane is almost ready," Keele said, and closed the connection.

Misato started swearing in at least three languages, using some words that Asuka had taught her inadvertently, but was interrupted by Maya's shout.

"ANGEL READINGS INSIDE THE BASE!"

"AGAIN?" Misato shouted at Maya.

"Yes Commander, we have confirmed Angel Readings coming from Terminal Dogma."

"Scramble the Cherubim to Terminal Dogma, dammit. This is getting to be a habit."

## ## ##

Asuka in her Evangelion and the Japanese Cherubim force came through the lifts into Terminal Dogma at the lowest point inside the NERV compound.

"Be ready for anything," Asuka said to them, as they advanced cautiously into the depths of the facility.

"Ready... Ready..." Asuka said, creeping forward at the head of the squad. Touji and Kensuke flanked her on either side. Asuka held the Lance of Longinus at her side, ready to strike. Slowly they eased forward towards the area where Shinji was interred.

Then Asuka saw it. The large, white blob, vaguely humanoid shapped, that she knew had to be the Angel.

"Oh God. Misato, it's Lilith."

"That's impossible Asuka, Lilith, Rei, was destroyed. Her remains are decaying all across the world."

"Not that Lilith, Misato, that was Rei, in Lilith, this is Lilith-Lilith, the big white staypuft marshmallow Lilith that was stapled to the wall of Terminal Dogma," Asuka whispered back.

"Well, if it is, then be careful. Lilith was the most powerful Angel we ever encountered."

Asuka nodded to Kensuke and to Touji, both of whom readied their lances. She held her fingers up and counted down.

3...

2...

1...

They struck.

Lilith reached back and held her hand up, throwing up and AT field between herself and the attacking Eva and Cherub units. The others were rebuffed, but Asuka held her ground as the AT field erupted in a corona of light and energy around her.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" She shouted in rage and in sorrow.

"Do you want him back?" Lilith asked, holding her hand out, keeping Asuka at bay.

Asuka collapsed against the AT field, her Lance tip dropping to the ground, and sobbed.

"With all my heart."

"Then take my hand," Lilith said, holding her hand out to Asuka.

Asuka dropped the Lance of Longinus, and took Lilith's hand.

"NO!" the Cherubim force screamed in unison.

Lilith smiled down at Asuka.

"My child," she crooned.

"Mama," Asuka sobbed, clutching Lilith in desperation and sorrow.

"Hush. We have work to do. Hold this," Lilith said, handing Asuka a strange linen object, larger than an Eva. Asuka could feel the odd texture of the thing, slick, warm, almost... alive.

"What is this?"

"The Shroud of Resurrection. It doesn't have much energy left. My brother, whom you called Adam, imbued it with a lot of energy when he came into contact with it. Can you feel it? Its a part of his soul."

"Yes, I can feel it. But, what now?"

"We need the help of one last person," Lilith said, setting an object Asuka hadn't noticed before on the ground before them.

It was a long range high speed courier boat.

Asuka watched in trepidation as the hatch opened and a small black and white figure waddled out.

"Wark?"

"Pen-Pen?"

"Pen-Pen!" Misato shouted over the bases intercom.

"Wark," the penguin squawked happily and waddled off towards the exit.

"We need the Penguin?" Asuka asked.

"No, we need the Pilot of the craft."

Gendo Ikari emerged slowly from the hatch of the ship, and glanced up at Asuka's huge Evangelion form.

"Hello Pilot Soryu. I understand I'm going to be a grandfather," he said.

"You Bastard!" Asuka shouted at him, and attempted to bring her hand down to squash him.

Lilith's barely humanoid hand intercepted hers, stopping it from crushing the former commander.

"No, my child, we need him."

"What? Why?"

"We need the love of his family to bring him back. He's trapped between. Unable to come back, unable to pass on. We can repair the damage to the home of his soul, but only a slim tether will then hold him, and it will slip by us before we can anchor it. We need the power of all those who hold a connection with him."

Asuka felt betrayed on a level she could barely understand.

Then she glanced down at Shinji's shattered body.

"For him... only for him. Anything... for him."

"That's my girl," Lilith said. "Now, spread the cloth over him."

Asuka did as instructed, and spread the Shroud of Resurrection over Shinji's prone form.

"Gendo Ikari. Are you ready to receive the gift you sought to steal for yourself?"

"What do you mean?" Gendo asked, looking up.

"This Shroud was the burial wrap of Jesus of Nazareth. Some of his divine energy was imprinted upon the shroud when he came back to life following his crucifixion. We are going to use that energy, and the energy of our own AT fields to bring back your son. But we have a problem. You're AT field, while strong, is not even close to being powerful enough to support the effort. There IS an AT field strong enough to support our effort, but it has no vessel, and its presence is disrupting my own energy."

"And you have a solution to that?"

"I do," Lilith said.

Her body convulsed...

A protrusion exuded itself from where her navel would have been had she been human. A small fetus shape was attached to the tip of it.

"You tried to steal the power of Adam before. Now, will you take it, freely given?"

"I.. I'm not worthy. I've done horrible things."

"And you have been forgiven. All mankind was forgiven their sins in the baptism of the LCL. It's a fresh start for every soul that emerges from the waters of life. Only your sins since your return stain your soul."

"I'm still not worthy. I'm responsible for this," he said, waving at Shinji's form.

"Yes, and when the time comes, you will have to answer for your part in this. However, though one good act does not balance out an evil act, the good one does with their lives counts for much when you come before our Lord for final judgement."

Gendo bowed his head, tears welling in his eyes.

"I don't deserve this."

Gendo tentatively reached out, and grasped the small form.

Energy pulsed from the small form, filling his body with energy. He looked up at Lilith.

"Now we are ready," she said.

She reached for Gendo, and placed his small form on top of the Shroud, over the Evangelion's Core. Then she turned to Asuka.

"Your turn Asuka, you must leave the Evangelion so that you can focus all your energy into the task at hand."

"Alright," Asuka said, and stepped back. She willed her consciousness to return to her own form, and was suddenly standing there, before her Evangelion, looking up at Lilith's form.

"I'm ready."

Lilith placed Asuka on top of the shroud next to Gendo.

"Get this straight 'Commander', this is for Shinji. If I had my way, I'd have squashed you with my Eva's hand."

Gendo looked down in shame.

"I don't ask for your forgiveness Pilo.... Asuka. I've done nothing worthy of it. But I hope, that if this works, you'll give me the chance to prove myself to you, and to Shinji."

Asuka narrowed her eyes and glared at the former Commander of NERV, but was distracted by Lilith's movements. Lilith was positioning herself over Shinji's prone form, like a woman, mounting her lover. Asuka felt a brief flash of jealousy, but let it pass.

"The two of you need to concentrate on calling to Shinji. You're love will be what holds him when the core is repaired, and be the tug that brings him back. I will provide the energy needed to activate the Shroud, repair the core, and give him back the life-force he needs to survive."

"And what happens to you?"

Lilith looked down at Asuka, and a smile spread over her face.

"My brother promised me my freedom. It appears that I'm about to collect on that promise."

Asuka nodded, not sure if she understood what Lilith was talking about, but ready to do what she needed to to get Shinji back.

"Hang on. I'm dropping my at field."

Asuka felt the wave of energy that had been impinging on her consciousness retract, as the barrier separating them from the Cheribum force vanished.

"Stay back," Asuka shouted at them.

"But Asuka..."

"If she wanted us dead, we'd be dead already. Now keep back. We have this ONE chance to get Shinji back, and I'm going to take it."

The others withdrew, but remained ready.

Asuka felt the energy pulse again, but this time it flowed from Lilith into the Shroud beneath her. There was a strange pulse beneath her, and Asuka saw a glow flash from within Shinji's shattered core. She collapsed on top of the shroud, and placed her hands at the edge of a fissure in the core.

Healing energy washed out from Lilith, filling the room with its power. Behind the Cherubim force, the chambers that contained the embryonic forms of the next generation of Cherubim began to grow rapidly. One of the Cherubim noticed this and tapped Kensuke on the shoulder.

"Ken.."

"Ya, Hiata?"

"I think you better look at this"

Kensuke turned around and gaped in shock. This chamber had originally been made to accommodate only eight tanks. Once they'd re-established contact with Germany, and decided they needed a much larger force of Cherubim they'd expanded to twenty-four tanks. There were now Twenty-four, nearly fully matured Cherubim bodies lying in the chamber.

"Ritsuko, we might have a problem down here," he said.

"What's going on?"

"The Cherubim's you were growing... they're ready."

"That's not possible. They should need another 3 months to achieve full size"

"Whatever. All I know is they're as tall as I am, and look fully formed."

"We'll get some technicians down there."

"Screw the tech's Ritsuko, send Pilot Candidates."

Ritsuko considered this, and turned to Misato and nodded.

"All Pilot Candidates in group 2 to Terminal Dogma," Misato said over the base communicators.

"I better go supervise," Ritsuko said, heading for the elevator, Maya in close pursuit.

Back in Terminal Dogma Asuka watched as Lilith continued to pour energy into Shinji's core. There was an odd sound. Almost like a sound effect Asuka had heard in a movie where time had been reversed, and a glass unshattered... And a piece of Shinji's Core joined to another, and the crack between them vanished.

"It's working!" Asuka shouted to Lilith.

"Yes, his core is regenerating, but not quickly enough. This may be more than even I can accomplish."

"No! Don't say that! We can do it, I know we can!" Asuka shouted back.

Waves of energy continued to wash over them, and expand out into the base and beyond.

"I'm afraid it's not enough," Lilith said.

"Can we help?" Kensuke said, as he and Touji, human again stepped forward and laid their hands on the cloth covered core. Asuka felt their energy join hers as she concentrated on using her AT field to call to Shinji.

"Thanks," Asuka said, smiling over at them.

"Anything for Shinji, Asuka," Touji said.

"Besides, it was getting crowded back there," Kensuke said, using his head to indicate the area behind them.

Asuka wasn't sure what Kensuke was talking about, but she thought something was odd when she took a quick head count.

"What the?"

"Lilith's energy is accelerating the growth of the Cherubim in the tanks. We've already got 24 brand new fully grown units, and Ritsuko said that even the embryo's in her cryogenic tanks are growing. We evacuated all the Cherubs to the hangar, and came back as ourselves to help." Kensuke said.

Asuka nodded, and continued to push energy into Shinji's core.

"Ah, yes, that may be it. More souls, more loved ones adding their energy to yours, to strengthen your call, and to heal the core."

Asuka nodded, feeling another small seam in Shinji's Core repair itself.

"It's working! It's Working!" Kensuke shouted.

"It will not be enough. I am weakening," Lilith said.

"No!" Asuka wailed.

Other's were beginning to come forward now, lining up with Asuka, Kensuke and Touji. Misato and Kaji. Ritsuko, and Fuyutsuki. The bridge crew, and all the Cherubim pilots. Slowly, inch by insufferably slow inch, the cracks in the core began to seal.

And then, the core was whole.

"His core is again complete, now we must bring him back!"

Asuka could suddenly feel Shinji's AT field. His soul.

It cried out in joy, and was gone.

"NO!" the cry escaped from every person inside the base.

"I have him Asuka," Lilith said. "He is trying to pass beyond, but I have captured his tether before he could be completely free of the Core. You have to call out to him, all of you. He has to want to live; has to know how much you need him to live."

'Shinji... come back to me. I need you. We need you. I love you. Don't leave me.' Asuka sent with all her inner strength. 'If not for me, then for our baby. Don't you want to see it born? Don't you want to prove that you're a better father than your own?'

Around her the others were sending all the same feelings of love and affection to Shinji, calling him back.

Everyone that is, except for one person.

"Gendo Ikari."

Gendo started. He'd been standing behind Asuka, forgotten by everyone, lost in his own thoughts, watching things unfold around him.

"Now is the time to use the power you were given Ikari," Lilith said to him.

"But I don't know what to do," Gendo said, plaintively.

"Focus on your bond to Adam. My brothers energy is strong, and with the last of his energy and mine, you can call your son back to us."

"Me?" Gendo asked doubtfully.

"Yes Gendo Ikari. You. In all his life, Shinji Ikari lacks one thing to complete himself. Your love."

Gendo was silent for many moments, staring at Asuka's back.

"He should come back for her, not me. They deserve each other; they make each other as happy as Yui made me."

"But he knows he has her love. He can feel it. His soul is brushing hers with its tips, twining, and caressing. If you could see as I see, it would break your heart. But it is the farewell caress of a lover who knows that the final parting has come. He is saying goodbye to her, and straining to be free."

"Then let him go. He deserves peace after the hell I put him through."

"Would that this reality could be that kind. We have need of him, one last time. Only he has the strength to wield the ultimate power and defeat the Morning Star. And we must hurry, for I can sense the Morning Star is about to manifest upon the surface of this world to finish the fight."

"But why me?"

"Shinji's soul is embracing everyone here, indeed, nearly everyone across the planet has a connection to Shinji at this moment. Here and there though, are souls that reject him, and Shinji's soul does not reach for them. There is a single exception to that. You. Shinji's soul continues to reach for you, even as yours continues to push him away. His soul reaches, is rebuffed, and reaches again. But his attempts to reach you are growing less frequent. Soon he will stop trying to touch you altogether, and when that happens, he will be lost to us forever, for he has already resigned himself to passing beyond."

Gendo cast his eyes down to his hand, and gazed upon the form of Adam. The small fetus was bonded to his hand, and pulsed with a life of its own. He could feel the energy flowing from within it, filling him with its light.

"I tried to take your power to reshape the universe, and pervert the cosmos. I don't believe that I can really be the one who can call Shinji back, but I'm willing to try."

From within the palm of his hand, the face of Adam turned to regard Gendo.

"For your son, Gendo Ikari, and for this reality, I gladly surrender my life. Use the life that he has given you to make a difference."

The fetus pulsed, and dissolved into Gendo's hand, leaving no trace that it had ever been there. Gendo felt himself filled with a tremendous light, and a joy such as he had not felt since the last time he'd made love with Yui.

"We are ready," said Lilith.

Gendo turned to regard the giant white form above him.

"As my brother gave his life and power to provide you with the strength to call Shinji back, so do I give my life to complete the bridge, and bind his tether back to this form. Tell your children you love them Gendo Ikari. It's all they ever wanted from you."

Lilith began to glow, her energy levels pulsing, and light exploded in waves from her. Gendo turned around, walked up behind Asuka, and instinctively laid his hands upon her shoulders.

"Shinji..." Gendo whispered.

Asuka felt energy pulse through her from the contact she shared with Gendo.

"I'm here with Asuka."

Again, the energy pulsed.

"We need you to come back."

A third time the energy pulsed, stronger than ever.

"We need you to be our savior one last time.

The energy pulsed, its power focused on the contact she shared with Gendo.

"I love you, Shinji," Gendo said so softly, that only Asuka could hear it.

Asuka felt power explode through her. Energy beyond anything she'd ever felt pulsed from her contact with Gendo into her heart, and down through her hands, into the core of Shinji's Evangelion.

Then she felt it ... Connection.

"Asuka," Shinji's voice echoed in her mind.

"Shinji," Asuka wept.

"Asuka, I hurt."

"I know Shinji, I know. Come back to me, I'll make it all better. I'll take away the pain."

"Let me go. Let me go. There is only pain for me here. Let me go."

"Shinji."

"Father?"

"Yes, Shinji. Asuka loves you Shinji. We all love you. Come back to us."

"But it hurts."

"It's okay Shinji. It's alright. Sometimes life hurts, but I know you're strong enough to overcome anything. You can do this. I believe in you."

"You do?"

A red light exploded from the Core of Shinji's Evangelion form washing over the base, and pulsing outward, racing across the surface of the Earth. There was a cry of ecstasy from Lilith's form, and she convulsed. Lilith's core pushed its way through the white skin of Lilith's body, and pulsed with a red light of its own.

"Farewell my children. Make the most of the gifts that have been given you, and know that the Lord loves you. Never doubt that love as you go forward, in all the millenia before you."

Asuka watched as Lilith's core began to shrink, as energy from the core poured into Gendo, and pulsed through her into Shinji. Lilith's form began to shrink as well, then, and the giant body convulsed and collapsed in upon itself.

Asuka began to cry, as the energy passed through her, and into Shinji, binding him back to the core of the Evangelion.

Then Lilith's body was gone, and only the core remained. Pulsing the last of its light and energy into Gendo and her, anchoring Shinji back to his body, and the lives of those he loved.

Then there was a shattering sound, and Lilith's core shattered, and collapsed into a heap. The final pulse of energy lanced into Gendo like a knife, and he felt felt the remains of Adams power meld with the final energy from Lilith and pour out of him into Asuka. Asuka took the energy that was given to her, and used it to twine Shinji's soul finally, and firmly back to the Evangelion's core.

The light around them faded, and Asuka was left with an odd ringing sensation filling her body. The only sound in the great chamber was the ragged breathing of the people surrounding the pulsing core of Shinji Ikari's Evangelion. Then the light from the core faded, and everyone held there breath.

The gigantic purple humanoid body convulsed, as if taking a breath, and the core flashed.

Shinji Ikari collapsed as he materialized in front of Asuka. Asuka, stunned by his sudden appearance, missed her grab for him. Gendo Ikari reached forward, breaking Shinji's fall, and lay him gently into Asuka's arms.

"I heard you," he said to the two of them, and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep, one hand resting upon Asuka's stomach, the other lightly clasping Gendo's hand.

Touji and Kensuke came forward out of the cheering that erupted from the gathered NERV personnel then, and lifted Shinji gently and carried him towards the elevator and the infirmary.

Asuka cried then, the pain and the sorrow of the last couple days mixing with the relief of Shinji's return. Gendo awkwardly lowered himself to her, and tentatively embraced her. Asuka clung to him, and cried then, great sobs poured out of her. After a few moments she'd cried herself out, and a few sniffs later, she released Gendo and stood up, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.

"Thank you," she croaked out, her voice breaking. "Thank you for giving him back to me."

Gendo smiled down at her, feeling more at ease with himself than he had at any point in the last fifteen years.

"I should be thanking you. Without your love for him, I wouldn't have had the strength of will to do what needed to be done."

He was gently cradling her head against his shoulder when there came a small tinkle from behind them. The two of them turned to gaze at a small figure rising out of the shattered remains of Liliths core.

A young girl, perhaps four or five was standing there, modestly trying to cover her nude body.

A young girl with pale skin and blue hair.

"Rei?" Gendo said, releasing Asuka.

The girl turned her head towards Gendo, and looked at him, confusion evident on her face.

"Rei, is it, can it really be you?"

"Do I... know you?" the little girl said softly.

"You don't remember me Rei?"

"I... I don't know. I... I think... that is...huh-uh? Do you know who I am?" she asked, almost begging to be reassured.

Gendo smiled.

"My name is Gendo Ikari. I'm your father."

"Father?" Rei and Asuka asked together.

Gendo stepped forward, taking off his coat, and wrapped it around Rei's shivering form. He gently guided her back to where Asuka was standing next to the Evangelion's core.

"There are no more secrets here Asuka. When Yui was absorbed into Unit 01 there was a small bit of genetic material left. That material, which was used by Project E to create the Rei clones was actually an unborn fetus. Yui was pregnant. I didn't know at the time, of course, or I would have never allowed the activation test. The fetus' growth stopped when Yui was absorbed, though, and should have died. When we were able to recover it, they told me it wasn't viable."

"They sub-sectioned the cell mass and performed experiments on it, eventually succeeding in re-catalyzing the cell growth through the addition of a couple molecules taken from Lilith's form. The person you knew as Rei, was a force grown clone of my unborn daughter, and Shinji's little sister."

Asuka stood there with her mouth agape, as Gendo approached her.

"We should go now," Gendo said. "We need to check on Shinji, and I think Doctor Akagi should check you as well." Gendo pointed down to Asuka's stomach.

Asuka looked down, and saw that her stomach was protruding greatly, and she felt a tightening within her, and a fluttering movement.

"OH MY GOD!" Asuka said, struggling to her feet. Two of the NERV guards who had remained to watch over the two came forward and assisted Asuka to the exit. Soon the five of them were in the elevator heading for the infirmary that Shinji had been taken to.

## ## ##

"I said I'm FINE! Now if you don't MOVE, I'm going to start punching people through walls!" Shinji shouted at Doctor Akagi.

"Shinji, you've been dead for more than 24 hours, trapped inside the core of your Evangelion, and brought back to life by the shroud of Turin and two Angels. Forgive me if I want to run some tests on you."

Shinji drew the blanket he was wearing around him a bit more tightly, and resigned himself to being poked and prodded by Ritsuko. He was still very tired, but could feel his strength returning quickly. When he'd first entered the infirmary, he'd been barely conscious; supported by Touji and Kensuke. Now, though, he was feeling back to his old self. Except for an odd tingling sensation in his midriff.

Ritsuko had a number of tools out and was busily going over him when the security guards escorting Asuka entered the room, supporting the very pregnant pilot as she waddled through the doors.

"Ritsuko!" Shinji said, motioning to Asuka.

Ritsuko turned, her jaw opening in shock at the now very pregnant Pilot.

"Ritsuko, I think I have a situation here," Asuka said.

Ritsuko immediately abandoned her examination of Shinji and started ordering the infirmary personnel to prepare for a delivery.

Asuka grunted as she was helped up into a large soft bed, and Shinji moved to her side, dragging his blanket with him.

Asuka's eyes found Shinji's and locked on his, and her hand grasped his with sudden urgency.

"Time it!" Ritsuko shouted, strapping a fetal heart monitor to Asuka's stomach.

"Contractions are at under 1 minute."

Ritsuko looked at Asuka as the young woman panted her way through a contraction.

"Sorry we didn't have time for any classes on childbirth. I didn't think this would happen for a few more months"

"Its okay Ritsuko," Asuka panted out. "All I need is Shinji."

Shinji held her hand, as another contraction hit.

"Uhh, cause this is ALL HIS FAULT AAAAAAH"

"AAAAAAH," Shinji screamed with her, as she attempted to crush the bones of his left hand at the height of the contraction.

"The head is crowning," Ritsuko said, excitedly.

"Uhh, Shinji... your father... uhh... he... should be .... HERE!" Asuka grunted.

Shinji looked momentarily shocked, but then nodded. He looked up, to ask for a guard to find his father, when Gendo pushed his way through the crowd. Holding a child who looked a lot like...

"Rei?"

Gendo smiled and nodded, and reached out with his free hand to hold Asuka's other hand.

"But how?"

"CAN WE DISCUSS THIS LATER!" Asuka grunted as she finished pushing at Doctor Akagi's urging.

Shinji shifted his focus back to Asuka, who was panting hard between contractions and pushes.

"One more should do it," Ritsuko said.

The contraction hit, Asuka grunted and pushed, and a small wet form with a full head of thick brown hair dropped into Ritsuko's outstreched arms. Ritsuko took a small bulb and cleared the childs airway, and swiped a finger into the infants mouth to clear it.

The baby's cry brought a sob of joy to both Shinji and Asuka, and they smiled at each other.

"Would you like to cut the umbilical chord?" Ritsuko said, holding the baby up for Shinji.

"What is it?" Asuka asked, sobbing.

"Its a boy," Shinji said, taking the scissors from the nurse, and carefully cutting the umbilical chord where Ritsuko was indicating. Ritsuko made to lay the baby on Asuka's chest, when Asuka felt another insistent tightening, and the need to push. As she bore down, Ritsuko's eyes widened, and she quickly handed the baby to a stunned Shinji.

"We've got twins!" Ritsuko shouted, moving back into position, and taking a gentle hold on the top of the second infants head to support it as it passed out of the birth canal. Within moments a second child, this one a girl with only a single thick and shockingly bright lock of red hair was being held by Doctor Akagi.

"Shinji?" Ritsuko asked, indicating the umbilical chord.

"Um," Shinji started, confused, he wasn't quite sure what to do, holding his infant son in both hands, and not wanting to do anything wrong. Then he glanced across Asuka at his father. He looked into Asuka's eyes, and she nodded.

"Father. Will you hold him for me?" he said, passing the boy to Gendo.

Gendo blinked, stunned, and released Asuka's and Rei's hands, and took his grandson, in slightly trembling hands. The infant was crying, its mouth wide open, and its eyes squeezed tightly shut. Gendo was struck at once by the similarity to Shinji's birth, some 18 years before, as he gazed at the child. A nurse handed him a bottle filled with formula, and Gendo gently placed it before the infants mouth, brushing the nipple over the little boys lips. Instinctively the boys head turned, his mouth latching on to the nipple, and he began to suckle for all he was worth.

Gendo looked up at Shinji, happier than he'd been in more than 14 years.

Shinji, who was lifting his infant daughter up to Asuka so she could get a good look at the baby, beamed back at his father.

Asuka took her daughter, and was soon passed a bottle and began feeding the younger infant.

"I'm sorry I can't breast feed you," she cooed to the little girl, "but you and you're brother got here before mommy's body was entirely ready for you."

Misato and Ryouji came in then, glancing around at the scene, and extremely disappointed that they'd missed all the excitement.

"Shinji," Misato called.

Shinji's smile faded somewhat when he turned and saw the expression on her face.

"Bad?" Shinji asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes."

Shinji turned back to Asuka, trying to find the words to express how sorry he was at having to leave.

"Go," she said to him, taking his hand and kissing it lovingly.

Shinji stepped back, away from his family, and marveled at them for a moment. Asuka, his son, his daughter, his father, and Rei. Rei. Now how was that possible. He wanted to ask a million questions of Asuka and his father, but knew he didn't have time.

He stepped over to Misato, and she hurried him out of the room.

"I'm sorry to break up this tableau Shinji, but..."

"Something's wrong,"

"Yes."

"And its something only I can fight."

"Now, more so than ever before."

"Lets go then. You can explain on the way," he said, heading for the lift back down to the crypt.

## ## ##

"And all of the activity has been centered around this Megiddo?"

"Yes, at last report there were hundreds of Legionnaires converging on the site. And we have a subsurface reading that is orders of magnitude stronger than any signal we've ever encountered."

Shinji stood on top of his prone Evangelion, where it lay in what should have been its tomb, and nodded.

"Endgame."

"It looks that way," Misato agreed.

"Alright, have all the Cherubim meet me on the surface, and call Berlin, I'm going to want their units to scramble as well."

"They're already in the air," Misato said, backing up.

Shinji stared into the depths of the core of his Evanglion, and felt his AT field pulse.

Contact.

Shinji shifted slightly, making sure Misato and Kaji were out of the way, and crawled out of the burial tomb slowly, the Shroud of Resurrection falling from him as he slipped out.

Shinji ascended to the hangar level, noticing Asuka's Evangelion here, and retrieved the Lance of Longinus from it. He considered the lance. How many times had this weapon saved him. It seemed to hardly make up for what it had done to him those years ago.

"Has it really only been 4 years?"

"I know. Time flies huh?" Touji said over the comms.

"It really does," Shinji said, retrieving Asuka's favorite weapon, her TPG-402, Tactical Proton Gatling from the storage bay, and inserting the power cord into his own receptacle. He sensed the unit come online, and indicate fully charged and ready.

"This is going to be our biggest battle yet guys. I feel I have to tell you that some of us won't be coming back from this one."

"We understand Shinji. We knew that from the start." Kensuke said.

Shinji moved to the lift, and began to rise to the surface.

"Besides, maybe we're not as badly outgunned as you seem to think," Touji said.

"Touji, please, don't kid yourself. What can a force of 23 Cherubim and one Evangelion do against the combined might of the Legionnaires that are gathering in Israel."

"23 Cherubim? Probably not a damn thing. But, you see, there's a lot more than just 23 Cherubim."

Shinji's head broke the surface, and the sight that met his eyes nearly made him drop the lift cables.

Surrounding the lift, filling the entire airfield and launch facility where the Eva's and Cherubim were stationed were Cherubim. Dozens and dozens of Cherbum.

"What? How? How many?"

Touji's voice brimmed with confidence, "Something that Angel did when she was bringing you back made the Cherubim fetus' grow out of control. Every single Cherubim fetus Doctor Akagi had in storage matured in a matter of minutes. The crews were pushing these things up here as fast as she could, and everyone with any combat experience at all was pressed into groups that were sent to bond with them. As for how many? Kensuke?"

"Two hundred and sixty-nine. Including the previous twenty three that we had before you, uh, you died."

Shinji rocked back on his heals a bit, stunned by the revelation.

"Still... Israel's a long way to run, and we don't have enough planes."

"No need Shinji. There was another side effect of Lilith's energy waves," Kensuke said.

Shinji watched in amazement as wings extended from first Kensuke's back, then Touji's, then one by one every Cherubim on the field. Glowing in every color of the rainbow, Shinji felt nearly overwhelmed by the AT field energy being unleashed around him.

"Well, we might have more fighters, but I'm sure we're short handed on weapons. Kensuke, pass your lance off to someone else, and you take this," he said, hefting the TPG off his shoulder, he unplugged it, and handed it to Kensuke.

Kensuke did as he was told, and stood there for a moment, staring at the plug.

"Oh... that's right, you don't have the same plug as an Evangelion."

"Well... true, but there IS a weird sort of navel below my core. Maybe..." and before he could think twice about it, Kensuke shoved the plug from the TPG into his Cherubim's 'belly-button.'

He hefted the unit, pointed it skyward, and unleashed a stream of deadly particles.

"Huh, guess it works... still, that feels really weird."

Shinji nodded his approval. He could see, in the distance, the members of the Berlin force passing out extra weapons that they had brought with them. Progressive knives and swords. Huge axes, hammers, and shields. Guns and rifles of all types. He wondered when they'd been dispatched, and was glad to see they'd come ready for a fight.

Five years of combat, first against the Angels, then against the Legionnaires had come down to this moment. He looked around at the gathered members of his force.

"If any of you wants to back out, now is the time. I don't ask you to follow me into battle without knowing the consequences. If everything I've heard, and believe, is true, this may well be the last stand for humanity. The Legionnaires are gathering at the place legend has foretold as the end of the world, where mankind will fight the final battle. Except the legends got it wrong. It's NOT man fighting man, its us against the unleashed forces of hell. I don't know how many of you are well studied in religion, but all of you should know that the ultimate evil is about to be released upon the Earth. If we fall, the Universe itself falls with us. But if we succeed. Mankind will finally find its true place in the cosmos."

"Since the fall of the tower of Babel mankind has spoken in many tongues. We have belonged to many Nations. And we have fought many wars. But tonite! Tonite we speak in one language, the language of Hope. Tonite, we belong to one nation, the Nation of Man. And Tonite! Tonite we fight the War to End All Wars. And Woe Be Unto The Evil That Would Seek To Destroy US!"

His voice booming out in a thunderous crescendo, Shinji crouched, and leapt skyward, his wings extending at the apex of his leap, and sweeping down, propelling him skyward. Within moments the others were airborne as well, and together they spiralled into the sky above the base, gaining altitude as they did so.

Shinji saw that the others were in formation behind him, and glanced back, noting that not one Cherubim remained on the field below.

With a nod, and a wave of his hand, Shinji pumped his great wings, and headed for the upper atmosphere, on a suborbital trajectory for Israel... and the last battle.

## ## ##

Shinji and the Cherubim force were descending out of the eastern sky, their great wings leaving aurora like contrails spinning out behind them as they came. Behind them, in the East, both moons had risen, full and large, to witness this final conflict. Before them, far in the west, the sun had long passed over the horizon, and full night had fallen upon the land of Israel.

An oppressive wave of energy washed over the warriors as they descended, and Shinji recognized it as the same feeling he got whenever a Legionnaire was nearby. This energy though was far stronger. He wondered how many hundreds of Legionnaires awaited them, and what the face of the final enemy would look like.

Shinji and the Cherubim broke through the cloud cover at forty thousand feet, and their battle cries shook the sky. Horror screamed back at them.

More Legionnaires than Shinji could count were below him on the plain. The ground below them was a teaming mass of bodies; pushing, shoving, leaping, and crying as the Cherubim descended. The ground was cracked, and burned for more than a hundred miles in every direction. The glow coming off of it looked like the pictures Shinji had seen in school of vast lava beds around volcanoes as they began to cool. The top was hard and black, but just beneath the surface, a blast furnace boiled.

Shinji noticed the mountain to his right, Har Megiddo, pushed up and maybe twice the height it had been before today. The mountain itself was burned and broken as well, and Shinji felt a wave of fear wash over him as he gazed on it.

'There's something in there.' he thought to himself as he descended.

Shinji and the Cherubim descended on the southern flank of the gathered Legionnaires, retracting their wings, and letting gravity draw them down. Shinji remembered the fight against the Angel Israfel, who could split himself into two bodies. The final blow had been a kick delivered by both him and Asuka right at the things core. As he dropped into a crowd of Legionnaires, Shinji shifted slightly so that he would land right on a Legionnaire, his feet leading the way.

True to his aim, Shinji crushed the core the first Legionnaire on the battlefield as he landed, a strange weasel like creature with a snakes head and tentacles for arms. Shinji didn't have time to celebrate however, as he was instantly set upon by nearly a dozen other creatures. He reached behind him, drawing the Lance of Longinus in one smooth movement, and drove the butt end through the core of the first Legionnaire that came within reach.

Behind him, the Legionnaires were opening up with everything they had. Touji's Lance cut his first enemy down, and he pulled back, blocking an attack that would have shattered his skull. Then there was a series of distinctly loud whines, and killing beams of light slashed out from within the Cherubim ranks.

'So, Kensuke's not the only one with a TPG. Good,' Shinji thought to himself, as he cut the grotesquely grinning head off of another Legionnaire, and then reversed his thrust to shatter the things core. All around him AT fields and energy flared. Shinji had never seen a battle like this before, and he was afraid. For the first time in a long time, he was truly afraid.

He quelled his fear, and forced himself to concentrate on the job at hand, however. He noticed that the Legionnaires were beginning to surround his force, pushing in on all sides now.

"UP NOW!" he shouted, throwing power from his AT fields defensive screen into his wings, and leaping from the ground.

More than two hundred forms followed him skyward, as they headed away from the point where they had been. But not all of the Cherubim were there. Below Shinji saw the shattered bodies of four Cherubim being torn apart by the Legionnaires, and devoured by the monsters. Shinji crossed the Lance over his chest in silent salute to their gallant sacrifice.

"There," he said, pointing to another area of the Legionnaires, that seemed weak. The force descended, and within moments was attacking into the Legionnaires lines. Shinji hoped that if they could keep up this hit and run style of attack, they might be able to inflict heavy losses on the Legionnaires while avoiding too many hits themselves.

After all, they were only outnumbered twenty to one.

## ## ##

Gendo Ikari had passed his infant grandson off to Doctor Akagi, and watched as Asuka struggled into her cloths. He wondered at the determination of his... what? Daughter-in-law? Had Shinji and Asuka been married? He knew he should have paid more attention to the files that he'd broken into, the journals he'd read, but now, his memory was failing him.

He knew what it was that Shinji was fighting now. He knew what he would soon face.

And he knew Shinji had no chance against this ultimate enemy.

And now Asuka was up, preparing to leave the delivery room and join his son on the battlefield.

"Asuka I must insist," Ritsuko started to protest.

"Ritsu.. you know this is the last battle. What kind of pilot would I be if I weren't there with them? What kind of partner would I be to Shinji if I weren't there by his side?"

"What kind of mother are you to just abandon your children like this?" Ritsuko shouted back

Asuka finished dressing and turned to the two young babes, now in a single bassinet, sleeping softly.

"I'm the kind of mother who's going to make sure my babies never have to be afraid of the dark," she said, bending over and pressing her lips against each sleeping forehead.

Ritsuko stared at her, as the young woman strode from the room.

'Thank god for an AT field that magnifies the healing process,' Asuka thought to herself, 'otherwise, I'd be stuck in that bed for hours if not days.'

Gendo held Rei's hand, and watched Asuka turn to go.

Would that his reasons for leaving Shinji behind all those years ago had been so unselfish. Still, he had Rei. And a chance to start over. A chance to make up for every mistake he'd ever made with Shinji and the Rei's who came before this little one.

'If we survive,' he thought.

He looked up at Ritsuko, who was staring after Asuka in amazement.

"I don't know whether to wish her luck, or say goodbye."

"Indeed," Gendo said.

Ritsuko turned to regard him and Rei.

"The first Rei?" She asked, curious about the new arrival.

"A parting gift from Lilith. I don't know for certain that its the first, but, its another chance for me to be the father I should have been."

"Scary thought," Ritsuko quipped.

"More than you can know. And yet. I believe it will be imminently satisfying once I get used to it."

"You know she's going off to die," She said, nodding after Asuka.

"Possibly," Gendo allowed.

"Don't suppose you have any more trump cards hidden up your sleeve?"

Gendo considered...

"Maybe one."

Ritsuko nodded, and then smiled at the former commander, "It's good to have you back."

Gendo blinked, almost stunned at those words.

"I shot you."

"And I tried to blow us all up."

"And you forgive me?"

"Gendo, something I've learned in the four years since 3rd impact, is that 'Forgiveness' is the province of god. Whatever passed before impact has been forgiven. All our sins and transgressions. If she can forgive me for everything I've done, I can forgive you for trying to kill me."

Gendo didn't know how to respond to that. He'd half expected her to pull a gun and kill him the moment they were alone together.

"So. Your Trump Card?"

"Yes, I'd almost forgotten. Can you watch Rei for me?"

"She can stay here with me and the babies. Don't worry, there's plenty of technicians and nurses around to keep an eye on all of us," she said, motioning him out the door.

Gendo turned to leave, and Ritsuko took Rei's hand, squatting down before her.

"Hello Rei," she said.

"Do I know you too?" the little girl said.

"Not yet, apparently, but you will. I'm you're Auntie Ritsuko, and we're going to be good friends, I just know it."

The little girl smiled shyly at Ritsuko and nodded.

Gendo, meanwhile was trying to catch Asuka before she left the base.

He arrived in the hanger just in time to see the elevator door in the ceiling close, indicating that Auska was already in her Evangelion, and outside.

He rushed from the hanger then, for the Command Deck. He almost made the wrong turn a couple times, but large signs on the walls guided him down the correct path.

'They don't have a chance... not unless I can get IT to her," he thought to himself.

He came onto the command deck, where the crews were monitoring the Cherubims' descent out of their sub-orbital trajectory, on target for the final battle.

Looking around he found Commander Misato Kaji, and her sub-commander, and husband Ryouji.

"Commander," he panted, out of breath.

"Yes, Commander," she replied.

"Please, Gendo, I'm no Commander. Asuka, where is she now?"

"She's over the sea of Japan, headed on the same path as Shinji and the others, for Har Megiddo."

"Can you show me?"

Misato called up the image of the Asian continent, and indicated Asuka's Evangelion.

"Patch me through to her, please?"

Maya, at her customary position on the bridge, nodded, and brought up the comm-link with the Evangelion.

"Yes?" Asuka's voice echoed around the command deck.

"Asuka, its ... its Gendo."

"Yes, I hear you, go ahead."

"There's something... something we found. An Icon. A weapon. THE weapon. You'll need it if you and Shinji are going to win this fight."

"Alright, where is this weapon," Asuka asked.

"In a cavern we tunneled out, below a Buddhist temple in southern China. After NERV personnel recovered it, we had it placed there. The thing is... we never could figure out how to get it to work properly for us. It went off a couple times, but it destroyed all the surveillance equipment we had monitoring it when it activated. It also killed all the base personnel out to a radius of two kilometers. Be careful."

"Alright. How will I know it when I see it?"

"It's a large golden rod, taller than an Eva, with a rectangular object in the center of the rod. Whatever you do, do NOT touch the rectangular object."

Asuka nodded, and altered her flight path, dropping out of the sky like a giant red meteor at the co-ordinates Gendo had transmitted. It took only a few moments to find the large entrance to the tunnel NERV had bored into the side of the mountain. With a great heave, Asuka ripped the door from its hinges, and retrieved the object, just as Gendo had described.

Asuka stared at the item, preplexed. It appeared to be an ornately carved staff of some sort. In the center was a small rectangular object, carved with details too small for her Evangelion's eyes to make out. Coming out of either side of the box was a long pole, cunningly shaped to resemble two thick rods, twisted around one another. The entire object was maybe half again her height.

"This is the most powerful weapon ever?"

"Yes. Just trust me, alright? Take care not to touch the box in the center. It might open, and I really don't think we want that."

"What happens if the box DOES open?"

"I don't know..."

Asuka nodded to herself, placed the staff behind her in one of the many slings that the Evangelions' and Cherubim wore to hold their lances, and stood up. She glanced around, getting her bearings, and, extending her great wings, Asuka lifted off, and continued on to the west, towards Shinji and the place called Har Megiddo, and the final battle.

## ## ##

An object of human design, not an Evangelion, but rather a specially designed aircraft, dropped out of hypersonic suborbital flight over northeastern Turkey, and brought itself into a high circling pattern over the battlefield of Har Megiddo.

From the pilots seat of his custom build transport, Chairman Keele, last surviving member of the Seele ruling council, looked upon mankinds final battle ... and grinned.

## ## ##

Shinji and the Cherubim were pushing forward, meeting stiff resistance, and giving way before fleeing to a new point of attack. Time and again they thrust into the walls of Legionnaires. Daemons were slain, heroes were cut down, but still they battled on against the vastly superior forces before them. Suddenly the Legionnaires turned, and, as one, shouted a deep throated roar so loud it shook many Cherubim off their feet.

The mountain at the heart of the battle, Har Megiddo itself, erupted in fire and brimstone. Boulders larger than an Eva shot out far and wide, some with enough force to reach escape velocity. A terrible reddish light burst into the darkness around them, a glow from within the clouds of rock, dust, and ash.

And within that shower of fire and light, a figure moved.

Larger than anything ever seen by man, the ultimate perversion of everything, the one time greatest servant of the one true god, reached up through the mantle of the Earth under which he had been trapped for centuries. Slowly, ponderously, he dragged himself up onto the surface.

The laughter that escaped him boomed across the plain, and many of his own servants quelled at the sound. Before him, he saw the tiny forms of the Human Cherubim gather closer together, trying to gather strength and comfort.

"Cower Before Me Humans, For Your End Has Come, And With You, All Of This Blighted Existence" he shouted.

Within the darkness that flowed out from his titanic form like a fetid odor, a light flared. The onetime angel focused on it, and saw, within the glow, the form of Evangelion Unit 01, glowing with an eldritch purple light.

"You Were A Worthy Opponent, Shinji Ikari, But Your End Is Here."

Pulling himself free from the last vestiges of earth, he strode forward, one titanic foot crushing half a dozen of his servants. They screamed in terror and ecstasy as they died, happy to serve their terrible master and be touched by him as they died.

## ## ##

"Shinji, now what?" Kensuke asked, fearfully, his voice breaking as it used to when he was a child.

"I want you all to pull back. There's nothing more any of you can do. This is the reason I was brought back. This is MY foe."

Kensuke started to protest, but Touji touched him on the shoulder, shook his head, and motioned for the others to back away from Shinji. Though they were indeed imbued with more power than at any other time in their lives, this was a foe no human had ever faced before. If anyone could triumph here, it would be Shinji.

Shinji clutched the Lance of Longinus, the true lance, altered by the power of Adam, the first angel, into this great and terrible weapon, close to him.

'We've gone into battle together many times. I have relied on your strength and your powers to get me out of many tough spots. I know you won't fail me now,' he thought. Somehow, he'd come to think of the Lance of Longinus as a living thing, not merely a weapon, but an extension of his own body and will. He gripped it tightly now, watching the approach of the monstrous being legend had called Lucifer.

As the titanic form loomed over him, Shinji reared back and threw the Lance with all the strength he had. Energy trailed behind it, and the air was displaced by twin sonic booms as the lance tips sped towards the glowing eyes of the foe. Then, as if swatted by some titanic hand, the Lance was deflected from its course, crashing back down into the gathered Legionnaires. The impact of the Lance killed two of them, striking the Legionnaires down before they knew what had hit them.

Lucifers' laugh boomed across the sundered plain.

"The master's will diverts the strike of the usurper," he thundered.

Shinji dove across the distance and reached desperately for the Lance.

Seeming with a will of its own, the Lance jerked from before him, and crashed to the side out of his reach. Shinji stared in amazement, and tried to will the Lance to him, as he had a hundred times before. The Lance quivered a moment, and then jerked away again.

The Morning Star laughed.

"Oh the things you humans do to one another provide no end of amusement. I will miss the centuries of joy you have given me, before the end, but I will cherish no moment more than this."

Shinji turned to look at his foe, a curious light in his eyes.

"Doomed child of man, do not look to me as the source of your vexation. It is not my will that thwarts you."

"Then who.." Shinji began.

"ME!" came a voice carried over his Evangelion's communications circuitry.

Shinji turned, to see a high speed VTOL transport, of the type his father had often used when he'd been Commander of NERV, perched atop a nearby hill, surround by Legionnaires.

Legionnaires who did not attack the human occupant.

"Keele? HOW? WHY?" Shinji cried.

"Why, Ikari? Why? Because I WANT it to end. I want it FINISHED! Once and for all, I want this exitance to end."

"But why?" Shinji shouted back

"Because facing eternity watching the human race muck about in their petty, self absorbed little lives, is PISSING ME OFF! I'm tired of watching the same story played out again and again, and I want the story to END! If that means existence goes with it, then SO BE IT!" Keele shouted.

"If you're tired of living, why don't you spare the rest of us your bullshit and kill yourself?" Shinji shouted back.

Keele threw his head back and laughed maniacally.

"Don't you think I've tried? For nearly two thousand years I've tried to end it. At first I didn't understand. My wife, my children, all died. My grandchildren and great-grandchildren died. And still I lived on! At first I thought that Zeus had blessed me. Later, as I mourned the death of my second wife, and then our children, and I learned the truth. The fourth Pope of the Catholic church pronounced the judgment of your god. The ONLY god who was true. Do you understand Ikari.. I WAS FOLLOWING ORDERS! IT WAS MY JOB! I WAS ONLY A SIMPLE SOLDIER!"

"I don't understand!" Shinji cried, leaping for the Lance.

Keele jerked his arm, and the Lance danced out of Shinji's reach again.

"Why, Keele, why?"

"MY NAME IS NOT KEELE! I AM LONGINUS, SOLDIER OF ROME! AND BY MY HAND WAS JESUS OF NAZARUTH STRUCK LOW!"

Lucifer laughed, "Undone by one of his own beloved monkey's. Because of his own curse. DELIGHTFUL!"

Shinji and the Cherubim gasped in unison. If the legends were true, as it seemed they must be, the man they'd known as Chairman Keele, two thousand years ago had pierced the body of Jesus with his Lance, and been cursed to live for eternity as a punishment.

"You had one weapon, one hope of stopping this fate Ikari, but I deny your hope. Learn what it is to know despair as only I have known it. Learn what it means to long for a quick and merciful death. I hope he saves you for last Ikari... so you can watch everything you care for die, as I have done, for two millenia."

With this final cry Keele/Longinus threw both his hands up, as if gripping an invisible object, and flexed his hands in opposite directions.

The Lance of Longinus shattered.

Keele cast his hands up and out.

The pieces of the Lance were cast high into the air, traveling quickly out of sight in opposite directions towards the far horizons.

Keele laughed.

Lucifer laughed.

And Shinji felt the beginnings of the despair that Keele had hoped he would.

## ## ##

Asuka heard Keele's speech through the comm-link, and gasped in shock and awe. Longinus, the real Longinus, after all these centuries, returned to strike a final blow against humanity yet again.

Asuka dodged, as a twisted piece of the Lance soared past her, reaching escape velocity, and soared into deep space. Asuka twisted to watch it go, and gripped the shaft of the weapon she carried tightly in her hands.

Looking back, she pushed her senses to their limit, and could see the plain far below her. She watched as the Legionnaires surged forward at Lucifer's beaconing hands. Energy beams lanced out from the weapons brought from NERV Berlin. Dozens of Legionnaires died, screaming as they were taken apart. The Cherubim forced their way forward, trying to reach Shinji's crouching form as the servants of evil surged at their masters bidding. She gave one titanic sweep of her wings, folded them tight against her body, and dove in upon them.

## ## ##

Shinji tried to rise, and was blasted to his knees by twenty clawed hands pummeling him. He could hear Touji, Kensuke and the others crying his name, struggling to reach him, but the Legionnaires were too many, their numbers overwhelming. Explosions rocked the shattered and blasted plain of Megiddo. Bodies of Legionnaires and Cherubim were blasted skyward and thrown down in defeat.

"Take Him!" Lucifer roared to his minions.

Clawed hands grasped him roughly, and lifted him from the ground. He struggled against them, but he had no leverage to brace himself against their pulling and dragging hands.

Soon he was dragged before Lucifer, where he was cast down upon the ground. Three monsters of tremendous size and strength seized him, and lifted him up to face Lucifer's wrath.

A forked tail, like that of a scorpion, crept around first one side of the great beast, and then another crept round the other side. The two tails struck out, and Shinji desperately threw up his AT field to fend off the attack. Lucifer laughed, and tore Shinji's AT field aside like it wasn't there, the tips of his tails piercing Shinji's wrists, and dragging him up before him, spread out once more like the holy stigmata.

"Oh, how I love to see the Savior's of Mankind in this position. I have to say, the Romans certainly knew what they were doing when they perfected Crucifixion. They weren't the first, of course, but they were by far the most prolific."

Lucifer dragged Shinji closer, his great maw streaming bile that steamed and bubbled as it fell upon the shattered ground.

"As much as I would like to honor our dear Longinus' request, you are too much of a threat to my minions to remain. Farewell Shinji Ikari. When you reach the heavenly plain, tell my brothers that their time is over."

Lucifer snapped his head from side to side, and his great maw opened, his jaw seemingly dislocating in an effort to encompass Shinji's Evangelion body.

"Ah the sweet sounds of human suffering," his voice gurgled as he leaned in close.

"Listen to this!" came a shout from above, and the heads of all those assembled, Legionnaire and Cherubim alike snapped up to watch a red arrow crash into Shinji and Lucifer.

Asuka wrenched Shinji out of Lucifer's reach, brandishing the staff she now wielded between them. Lucifer lunged forward, then, suddenly, inexplicably, snapped back.

Could Asuka be wrong? Was that fear she saw on the face of the vilest being in existence?

"DESTROY THEM" the once-great angel shouted.

Asuka jerked Shinji to his feet, handed him the staff, and spun so they were back to back.

"ASUKA" Touji shouted, from behind a wall of surging bodies, "CATCH!"

There was a flash of light in the sky between them, and Asuka reached up to grasp the object Touji had thrown. A Progressive Sword hilt snapped into her hands. Asuka grasped it tightly, and thumbed it on. Instantly a great blade snapped out from the hilt. Legionnaires surged towards them then, and Asuka lost sight of Touji and the other Cherubim.

She felt Shinji's hand fumbling to grasp hers, and turned slightly, taking his left hand in hers.

"I'm glad you're here," Shinji said.

"You know me, third child, I couldn't live with myself if you beat me."

Asuka felt Shinji's mental grin and caress at the reminder of their old competition.

The first Legionnaire was close enough then, and Shinji struck it with the staff Asuka had given him. The thing lurched, as the staff pierced its core, and exploded into a cloud of dust that sparkled in the hellish light as it drifted towards the ground.

"What's this?" Shinji asked, already spinning to engage one of the three Legionnaires who had held him before Satan.

Asuka grunted, "You father said it was the most powerful weapon in existence." With a single slice, Asuka beheaded a goat like creature, shattering its core on the backstroke.

"It feels... almost... alive," Shinji gasped as he battled the great creature before him, at the same time, sweeping the staff in an occasional arc to keep the Legionnaires gathering around them at bay.

"Yes, I felt that too. Oh, and your father said don't touch that odd box shape in the center."

Shinji spared a momentary glance for the center of the weapon before him. The box like shape, large by human standards, seemed innocent enough.

Then a titanic clawed arm scythed in on him from his foe, and Shinji parried the blow with the staff. Almost as if some great will had planned the movement, Shinji watched, stunned, as the Legionnaires hand made contact with the golden box.

The box's lid, held in place by the wings of two carved figures on top of the box, began a slow and graceful fall to the ground below Shinji.

"Oops."

## ## ##

Kaimsheol, seeing the sign he'd been told to wait for, glanced at Layniel and said, "You're coming with me aren't you?"

Layniel smiled at him, "Of course."

The two Angels transformed then, taking on their true forms as Warrior Angels, resembling creatures not too dissimilar to the Cherubim and Evangelions. Great flaming swords materialized in their hands, and as one, they turned to Metatron.

"We're going."

"Fight well."

## ## ##

A glowing light, unlike anything witnessed by mortal man (except a few unfortunate scientists in the last decade) in nearly 2500 years sprang from the box at the heart of Shinji's staff. The Legionnaire in front of Shinji fell to its knees, crying, prostrating itself on the ground.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please. I beseech you... forgive me!" the thing cried, as the light bathed it.

At once, the light seemed to coalesce around the thing, and it lifted its head up, staring directly into the heart of the box, as it cried out in joy. "Thank you," it whispered, as the light consumed it utterly.

A hand gathered up the lid at Shinji's feet, and placed it back upon the box, cutting off the light.

Shinji looked up to see a figure he felt he should recognize, but knew was not one of his Cherubim.

A figure with a flaming sword the size of an Evangelion's body.

"Do I know you?"

"My name is Kaimsheol. I was the messenger who took the form of yourself when I came to you in your times of need."

"And I am Layniel, who was the form of your beloved Asuka," said another figure, stepping forward from the ether.

Shinji blinked in awe and confusion as the sky above him was suddenly full of armed and armored forms... forms sprouting great golden wings of energy from dozens of places on their bodies.

The Legionnaires saw them, and most screamed in defiance, none, more-so, than Lucifer himself.

"How? I thought you were forbidden to interfere?"

"A forgotten promise, made to Solomon, by the arch-angel Michael, at the birth of his son to an Ethiopian wife. 'Though the Ark of the Covenant may slip into obscurity, always will it protect mankind. Should evil men seek to control it, the power of Heaven shall be brought against them. And, should a time come, when the minions of Satan walk the earth, their touch will summon the armies of Heaven, to cast them back from whence they came.'"

"So... you're here to fight with us?"

"Yes Shinji Ikari... We're here to fight with you."

Shinji nodded, glancing around at the heavenly forms descending around him. Barely discernable on the armored face of his Evangelion, a smile appeared.

## ## ##

The battle was fully joined then, Evangelions, Cherubim, Legionnaires, and Heavenly Host. The Host Angels, dropped into the heart of the battle, opening a path between Shinji, Asuka, and their Cherubim friends. Finally Shinji and Asuka reached Touji, Kensuke, and the others.

"Where'd these guys come from?" Touji asked.

"It'd take too long to explain," Shinji said, "when we make it out of this, we'll have a long talk. I'll tell you everything."

The friends nodded, and, faces set in grim determination, returned to the battle.

Throughout the day, and into the next night, the battle raged. No quarter was asked, and none was given. Angel, Cherubim, and Legionnaire alike knew that this battle was the last hope for each.

Shinji and Asuka were never quite sure how they managed to keep going, but they did. And as the Dawn of the second day was approaching, victory seemed to be theirs. There were thousands of dead upon the battlefield. More Legionnaires than Shinji had ever imagined existed were sprawled dead next to the bodies of the Angels, and many of his Cherubim forces.

Finally, however, the Angels and the Cherubim had encircled Har Megiddo and the remaining Legionnaires had been driven back to the shattered crater from which their master had emerged. Driven to this last patch of ground, the forces of darkness quailed in fear at the combined might of Heaven and Earth. But then, just as the light of the second day broke the horrizon, the ground began to shake anew, and a roar was heard at the heart of the Legionnaires forces.

"I WILL NOT BE CAST DOWN AGAIN! I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED BY THE BASTARD SON OF A MONKEY!"

At those words, a deep crimson light flared at the heart of the enemy forces, and Satan himself, driven at last to desperation, came forward. As he moved, his body shifted like quicksilver. He assumed the shape of a great humanoid dragon, titanic wings stretching out to blot out the rising sun. Screaming his rage into the heavens, Shinji gazed upon the great beast, easily fifty times larger than himself, in terrible awe. The Legionnaires too, feared this beast, and pulled back away from it as much as they could in their confined space.

"I AM THE MORNING STAR AND I BRING YOU YOUR DEATH HUMANS! NONE MAY STAND BEFORE ME!"

Shinji looked around to try and find Kaimsheol and Layniel, identifying them in the forward ranks of angels standing nearby.

"Well?"

"Just wait Shinji Ikari. All is not lost."

Then, in the midst of the terrible glory of the Dragon, there came a light, descending from on high. The light grew in intensity, and the Legionnaires shrank back from it, for they were afraid. They knew this light, remembered it, and despaired.

"Who, or what?" Shinji wondered, as the gigantic angelic form descended between him and the Dragon who was Lucifer.

Asuka gazed in wonder, and then, dragging at Shinji's had, kneeled before the being who had emerged from the light.

"There is no need to kneel before me daughter of man. I am merely a servant, and I demand no obeiscense from you."

"Who are you?" Shinji asked, gazing up at the gigantic angelic form before him.

"I am Michael. Arch-angel, and the right hand of god."

"FACE ME MICHAEL! LET THIS BE OUR FINAL CONTEST" Satan roared.

"No," Michael said simply, looking over his shoulder at the great form approaching.

"No?" Shinji and Asuka said in unison, shock showing through their stunned faces.

"No. This is truly the last fight. If Satan loses here, he will be cast down forever into the pit. Though mine is the power that will bind him, mine is not the power that will defeat him. That, son of adam, is your task." Michael said, smiling down at Shinji.

Battle weary and feeling the pain of dozens of wounds sustained during the battle, Shinji looked at the looming form before him and said, "You sure you can't take this one?"

Michael laughed, "Have courage child. I have a gift for you."

Michael waved his hands over Shinji, and his hurts were healed, and his exhaustion fled him.

"Thank you," Shinji said, feeling at once strong and vibrant again.

"That was not the gift. Here is your gift."

Michael handed Shinji his own Shield and Sword.

Shinji took them, and felt warmth and love flood his entire body.

"Fight well," Michael said, standing aside for Shinji to face Satan alone.

Shinji turned to Asuka, and his friends, meeting each of their eyes in turn, before returning to Asuka. He smiled fondly at her.

"For our children," he said softly.

Shinji turned and charged.

## ## ##

And so Shinji Ikari leapt into single combat against Satan. If someone had come to Shinji five years before and told him "When you turn 18 you're going to be fighting the devil for the fate of the Universe" the young boy would have run away and hid in a closet, but that wasn't the same Shinji Ikari who threw himself into this battle.

Shinji Ikari had come a long way from a frightened boy with abandonment issues who had first arrived at the NERV base in Tokyo-2 at the tender age of 14. He had fought in nearly a hundred battles. He had witness the end of the world. He had been joined in a single consciousness with all mankind, and had rejected that stale and static future in hopes of a better life. He had nearly been defeated dozens of times, always pulling victory from the jaws of defeat. And then he died. Trapped within the shattered core of his Evangelion, he had struggled for release, for the final peace. Then a chorus of voices had called out to him, and, quite against his will, he was dragged back. He re-united with Asuka, his father , all the others, and became a father himself.

He was done running.

Shinji crashed into the great Dragon, and his sword flared to life, flames licking at the edges along its length.

Satan struck at Shinji, great taloned hand sweeping down to crush him. Shinji blocked the strike with the shield, but was thrown aside, landing heavily. He sprang to his feet immediately, but Satan was on him tails lashing, and claws flashing out blindly. He blocked the attacks with shield and sword

One of the twin stinger tipped tails struck out, and Shinji spun and lopped the tip off with a single slash of the sword. Satan screamed in pain and outrage.

'Not so invincible as you'd like us to believe? So much the better,' Shinji thought to himself.

For many minutes the two combatants traded blows, each taking minor hits, but no real damage being done. The Dragon lashed out then, its great head crashing down, maw open. Shinji leapt inside the things reach, stabbed the sword into its neck, and used his momentum to swing up onto its great back. The great head crashed to the ground as Shinji sprung along its back, raising the sword above him. Moving faster than the eye could easily follow, he slashed the sword in two great sweeps.

And the Dragon's great wings fell, severed from the body of the beast.

Satan reared up and roared, and Shinji clutched the bleeding stump of one wing with his shield arm, holding on as the Dragon thrashed about, and slashing with the Sword of Michael. Scales, skin, and ichor flew from the back with each strike.

As he madly struck at the exposed back, he saw a faint glow from within. It only took him a moment to realize what it was. The Core of Satan himself. Shinji spun the sword in his hand, grasped the hilt, and drove the blade down with all his strength, striking deep into the exposed back. Down the blade went, striking deep into the Dragon's body, until, at last, it struck the core. Shinji felt the blade resist, at first, and pushed with all his strength. As the blade bit into the core, the Dragon screamed in rage, thrashed, leapt about, and, with a great crash, fell prostrate upon the ground.

Shinji prepared to finish the battle, once and for all, and rose above the Dragon when a voice stopped him.

"Hold, Shinji Ikari."

Shinji looked up to meet the eyes of the Arch-Angel Michael.

"Your enemy is defeated. The vessel of his soul has been damaged, and his power broken. You do not need to destroy him."

"After everything he's done, all the suffering he's caused, everyone he's killed, you want me to let him LIVE?"

"Yes."

"WHY?"

"God has ordained it. We will bind him, and cast him back into the pit. There he will remain, until, in the long ages to come, your world is consumed by the fires of its sun."

"Will he be free then?"

"No. He and his minions will be drawn into the raging fires of your sun where they will remained trapped, forever. And when the sun at last burns itself into a cold dark cinder there they will remain. Trapped forever."

Shinji looked down at the powerless thing below him, and almost felt pity. He pulled the blade from the dragons back, and leapt to the ground beside Michael. Behind him, the body of the Dragon shifted again, and the humans stared in awe, as Satan assumed his true form. Shinji gazed in awe at the most beautiful figure he'd ever seen. Then, as he watched, the shape shifted again, becoming foul and perverted, as had all those who had turned from the will of god.

"Bind him," Michael bade, and a squad of angels leapt forward, great chains in their hands. Quickly they wrapped Satan in the chains, and when it was done, Michael stepped forward. With a word he sealed the chains, and turned to the remaining Legionnaires.

"The battle is over. Return now to the depths, or face Judgement."

Shinji stared then, stunned, as the forces who had fought so fiercely minutes before, turned, meekly, and sunk back into the ground.

Michael turned then to face Lucifer.

"Farewell Brother."

Lucifer spit in Michaels face, a terrible grin splitting his face.

Michael lifted Lucifer up high into the air, and then cast him down into the pit. Many long minutes passed as Lucifer fell, until at last he was lost from sight. He raised his arms then, and tilted his head skyward. In response, a beam of light shone out of the heavens and onto the battlefield.

Shinji blinked, and the shattered plain was restored to pristine condition. The bodies of the slain were gone, and, where Har Megiddo had stood was a monolithic tower made of shining marble.

Michael turned to Shinji and smiled down at him.

"We will take our leave of you now Shinji Ikari."

"That's it? Just like that its over, and you're leaving?"

"Yes."

"But there's so many questions I have, so much I want to ask."

"You'll learn the answers to every question. In time. Your world will return to the paradise it was when it was given to you. The beasts of the land, the sky, and the sea are returning, and this world will again flourish. Mankind has come into its own, and reclaimed the gift that was lost to them at the dawn of time. Use it wisely."

"What gift?"

Michael smiled and shook his head. And with that, the glow from the light above increased to blinding intensity and when it at last dimmed and faded, the Heavenly Hosts were gone.

Shinji turned and took Asuka's hand, and then faced his friends.

"Its over..."

## ## ##

Epilogue

December 25th, 22731

Shinji turned to Asuka, who was watching the Cherubim leave the great ship, and descend to the world below. Their youngest daughter was going with this group, settling yet another new world on the far side of the galaxy from mankinds homeworld, and Asuka had spent most of the previous night trying to talk her out of it.

"She's as pig headed as you are, you know," Shinji said, taking her hand.

"I know," Asuka sniffed. "I'm just going to miss her."

"We could go with them, you know."

"No. It wouldn't be right. They've looked to us for leadership their whole lives, and its time they stood on their own."

Shinji gathered Asuka into his arms, and looked down at her as the last of the colonists spread their wings, and began the long descent to the planets surface. The Cherubim turned its head, smiled, and waved. Asuka smiled back, waved, and blew a kiss. The figure pretended to catch it, hugged herself, and waved goodbye before turning around and dropping out of sight.

"She was the last of them. We can leave orbit whenever you want," Touji said coming up behind them.

"Tell Kensuke we're ready," Shinji said.

Asuka wrapped Shinji in a great hug, needing the comfort of his embrace just then.

Touji nodded, and backed out of the observation room, leaving Shinji and Asuka alone.

"Hey," Asuka said softly.

"Yes?" Shinji said.

"Think we can have a son this time?"

Shinji smiled down at her.

"We have children on over a hundred worlds; Grandchildren on five times that many, and you want another child?"

"Yes."

"Okay," he said. He lifted Asuka into his arms, and carried her back to their quarters. If the other members of their crew heard anything during the next several hours, it was the laughter of the two Evangelion Pilots, as they renewed their commitment to one another, and to the survival of Mankind.

fine


End file.
